EFFECTIVE-MEDIUM THEORY OF A NONLINEAR COMPOSITE MEDIUM USING THE T-MATRIX APPROACH - EXACT RESULTS FOR SPHERICAL GRAINS

An effective-medium theory for nonlinear spherical particles embedded in a linear host medium is developed. The formulation is based on a T-matrix approach. Introduction of a field-dependent T matrix enables one to obtain an exact expression for effective dielectric constant of a medium with spherical grains. In the special cases of low-field values, the results obtained previously for the third- and fifth-order nonlinear susceptibilities of the medium are recovered. The resonance behavior of the effective dielectric constant and intrinsic optical bistability are also discussed. © 1990 The American Physical Society.