Local-field effects and effective-medium theory: A microscopic perspective

Abstract

Standard textbook derivations of the Clausius–Mossotti (Lorentz–Lorenz) relation tend to obscure the physical origin of local-field effects by proceeding from the macroscopic dielectric function of the equivalent homogeneous system to the microscopic parameters of the model. The microscopic and macroscopic aspects can be made clearer by reversing the order, that is, by first obtaining the microscopic solution and then implementing the definition of macroscopic quantities as averages of their microscopic counterparts. This approach also leads naturally into a treatment of effective-medium theory and the description of the dielectric response of heterogeneous materials.