A general formalism for the calculation of the macroscopic dielectric response of spatially fluctuating systems is used to obtain, following a unified approach, expressions for (1) the corrections to the Clausius-Mossotti dielectric function in disordered systems, (2) the optical coefficients and the surface plasmon polaritons of rough surfaces, (3) the electromagnetic modes of infinite crystals, and (4) the change in the macroscopic dielectric response of a crystal in the neighborhood of its surface, under the assumption that the length scale of the fluctuations is much smaller than the wavelength of light.

• Received 8 February 1985

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.32.4989