Theory of Faraday rotation by dilute suspensions of small particles

Abstract

We consider Faraday rotation by a dilute suspension of small particles embedded in a host. Using the Maxwell-Garnett approximation, we obtain an expression for the complex effective dielectric tensor of the composite in the low concentration limit. The Faraday coefficient becomes anomalously large near the surface plasmon frequency of the small particles. Numerical examples are given for the frequency-dependent off-diagonal part of the dielectric tensor and for the angle of rotation.