Near-field effect in two-atom system

K V Krutitsky, S V Suhov

Abstract. On the basis of a microscopic approach which employs integro­differential equations for local electromagnetic field strength, we have solved the boundary­value problem of linear classical optics for the reflection and transmittance of a light wave by an ultra­thin dielectric film. The consideration of discrete structure of the medium is shown to lead to a near­field effect. The essence of this effect consists in the fact that the laws of light refraction and reflection, especially near the surface, may be significantly different from Fresnel ones. We obtain an estimate of the magnitude of the near­field effect in the media with different types of spatial atomic distribution.