Lorentz oscillator model

A bound charge obeying $m\ddot{u}+m\gamma \dot{u}+m{\omega }_0^{2}u=qE$ gives a resonant electric susceptibility. For carrier density $n$ and the $e^{-i\omega t}$ convention,Positive damping gives $\mathrm{Im}{ϵ}_r\ge 0$ for $\omega >0$, expressing passive absorption. Independent resonances add to the electric susceptibility. Setting ${\omega }_0=0$ gives the Drude frequency response.

An optical oscillator strength is a dimensionless weight assigned to an optical resonance. In an independent-resonance Lorentz oscillator model using a reference electron mass $m_e$ and a specified participating number density $n$,Its normalization must be stated: assigning one unit of total strength per participating Electron means ${\sum }_j{f}_j=1$. A one-resonance approximation with $f_1=1$ represents the whole chosen electron population, rather than asserting that the first allowed interband transition carries all optical strength. The smallest band gap therefore need not equal the fitted resonance energy.

For $\ddot{z}+2\gamma \dot{z}+{\omega }_0^{2}z=(q{E}_0/m)\cos \omega t$, the $e^{i\omega t}$ convention gives complex displacement amplitude $\tilde{z}=(q{E}_0/m)/({\omega }_0^2-{\omega }^2+2i\gamma \omega )$. If the real amplitude is defined nonnegative, the phase is $-\delta$ for $q>0$ but $\pi -\delta$ for $q<0$, where $\delta =atan2(2\gamma \omega ,{\omega }_0^2-{\omega }^2)$. An electron's low-frequency displacement is opposite to the electric field; its high-frequency displacement is in phase. The induced electric dipole moment $qz$ instead has phase $-\delta$ for either sign of charge. A signed amplitude can absorb the extra $\pi$, but that convention must be stated.

For a charge $q$ of mass $m$ bound by spring constant $k=m{\omega }_0^2$, the undamped equation $m\ddot{x}+kx=q{E}_0{e}^{-i\omega t}$ has complex amplitude $x_0=q{E}_0/[m({\omega }_0^2-{\omega }^2)]$. The induced electric dipole moment is $p_0=q{x}_0$. Averaged electric dipole radiation power, divided by incident light intensity, givesThe Rayleigh scattering limit $\omega \ll {\omega }_0$ gives $\sigma \sim {\sigma }_T(\omega /{\omega }_0{)}^4$, proportional to ${\lambda }^{-4}$. For ${\omega }_0\ll \omega \ll m{c}^2/\hslash$, the charge behaves as free and the Thomson cross-section is recovered. At resonance the undamped steady-state formula is invalid; a finite damping mechanism or radiation reaction must be included. The formula describes independent weakly driven scatterers, not arbitrary coherent scattering from an extended medium.