Electric and magnetic energy density distributions inside and outside dielectric particles illuminated by a plane electromagnetic wave.

We have studied the distribution of the electric and magnetic energy densities within and in the vicinity outside a dielectric particle illuminated by a plane electromagnetic wave. Numerical simulations were performed by using the Lorenz-Mie theory and the finite-difference time-domain method for spheres and spheroids, respectively. We found that the electric and magnetic energy densities are locally different within the scatterers. The knowledge of the two components of the electromagnetic energy density is essential to the study of the dipole (electric or magnetic) transitions that have potential applications to Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy.