The effect of anisotropy on cross section spectra of uniaxial spherical particles small compared to the wavelength

We study the effect of anisotropy on the extinction, absorption and scattering spectra of optically uniaxial spherical particles, which are small compared to the wavelength of the incident light, in the infrared spectral region. To do so we compare simulated Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) spectra of the uniaxial sphere to spectra of a corresponding isotropic materials calculated with Mie-theory, which are given the principal dielectric functions of the ordinary and extraordinary axes, respectively. Several effects of anisotropy can be observed, caused by the incident plane wave being bent around the sphere and penetrating into the sphere.