Abstract
The optical properties of individual 3-to 14-micron diameter CdS crystalline spheres embedded in poly(methyl methacrylate) were studied using elastic scattering. The presence of well defined sharp peaks in the 550 to 600 nm elastic scattering spectra confirmed that each microcrystal acts as an optical cavity with cavity quality factors exceeding 104. Such natural resonator microcrystals should lead to greatly enhanced local field effects near the surface of CdS, quantum electrodynamic modification of optical transition rates of nearby species and altered photochemistry. Absorptive heating following high intensity laser irradiation was found to induce a transient washout of the high Q modes.