Arbitrary scattering of an electromagnetic zero-order Bessel beam by a dielectric sphere

Arbitrary electromagnetic (EM) scattering of a zero-order Bessel beam by a homogeneous water sphere in air is investigated. The radial components of the electric and magnetic scattering fields are expressed using a partial wave series involving the beam-shape coefficients, scattering coefficients of the sphere, and half-conical angle of the wavenumber components of the beam. The 3D scattering directivity plots in the far-field region are evaluated using a numerical integration procedure. It is shown here that shifting the sphere off the axis of wave propagation breaks the symmetry in the directivity patterns. Moreover, the scattering strongly depends on the half-cone angle of the beam. This investigation could provide a useful test of finite element codes for the evaluation of EM scattering and radiation forces, which are important in optical tweezers and related particle manipulation applications. c 2011 Optical Society of America