Electromagnetic-wave scattering by a sphere with multiple spherical inclusions

An exact solution to the problem of electromagnetic-wave scattering from a sphere with an arbitrary number of nonoverlapping spherical inclusions is obtained by use of the indirect mode-matching technique. A set of linear equations for the wave amplitudes of the electric field intensity throughout the inhomogeneous sphere and in the surrounding empty space is determined. Numerical results are calculated by truncation and matrix inversion of that set of equations. Specific information about the truncation number pertaining to the multipole expansions of the electric field intensity is given. The theory and the accompanying computer code successfully reproduce the results of other pertinent papers. Some numerical results [Borghese et al., Appl. Opt. 33, 484 (1994)] were not reproduced well, and that discrepancy is discussed. Our numerical investigation is focused on an acrylic sphere with up to four spherical inclusions. This is the first time that numerical results are presented for a sphere with more than two spherical inclusions. Interesting remarks are made about the effect that the look direction and the structure of the inhomogeneity have on backscattering by the acrylic host sphere. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.