Absorption of Light by Atoms in Solids

Abstract

The interactions of an atom with its neighbors in an idealized solid are taken into account explicitly in treating the absorption of light, as contrasted with the usual introduction of an "effective" field and mass. In the discussion of the magnitude of the absorption coefficient, two cases are treated: one, the absorption by an impurity atom, in which case we are led to an equation similar to Smakula's; and two, the absorption by one of the atoms of the perfect crystal. The computations are based on a simple idealized model whose validity is discussed for existing systems.