Using a fully vectorial three-dimensional numerical approach (generalized field propagator, based on Green’s tensor technique), we investigate the near-field images produced by subwavelength objects buried in a dielectric surface. We study the influence of the object index, size, and depth on the near field. We emphasize the similarity between the near field spawned by an object buried in the s...

Dielectric studies were performed for several isothiocyanato-tolane compounds having the F atom attached to the benzene rings at different lateral positions and the alkoxy or alkyl chain at the p-position. They form the nematic phase in broad temperature intervals. The static as well as dynamic properties of the compounds in the nematic and isotropic phases were studied. Tensor permittivity com...

Using density-functional theory with ultrasoft pseudopotentials, we previously investigated the structural and electronic properties of the low-pressure (cubic, tetragonal, and monoclinic) phases of ZrO 2 and HfO 2 , in order to elucidate phonon modes, Born effective charge tensors, and especially the lattice dielectric response in these phases. We now extend this previous work by carrying out ...

Employing a recently developed cluster expansion for the effective dielectric constant of a suspension of spherical inclusions, we show which parts of the cluster integrals give rise to the Clausius-Mossotti formula. The same selection of terms is then used to obtain an approximate expression for the wave-vectordependent effective dielectric tensor. For a system of hard spheres with only dipole...

We analyze the effects of disorder on the thermal Casimir interaction for the case of two semi-infinite planar slabs across an intervening homogeneous unstructured dielectric. The semi-infinite bounding layers are assumed to be composed of plane-parallel layers of random dielectric materials. We show that the effective thermal Casimir interaction at long distances is self-averaging and can be w...

The purpose of the present article is to review recent advances made in the determination and calculation of improved bounds on the effective properties of random heterogeneous media that depend upon the microstructure via n-point correlation functions. New breakthroughs made in the quantitative characterization of the microstructure of heterogeneous materials are also reviewed. The following f...