Linear Optical Properties of Surfaces and Interfaces

In this chapter we begin to study optical phenomena which occur at surfaces or interfaces when the intensity of the incident light is weak. These phenomena include reflection, refraction and the scattering of light, as well as the excitation of coupled modes propagating along the surface or interface. The optical properties of media at the border, which determine these phenomena, are assumed to be independent of the light intensity. Nonlinear optical effects will be discussed in Chapter 6. 

The discussion of optical properties is quite general as far as it is given in terms of the dielectric functions of the contacting media. Hence, it is equally valid for solids, liquids and gases, except for some explicitly specified cases. The special case of optical response at a gas-solid interface near a resonance frequency of the gas is discussed later in Chapter 7. 

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