Some Applications of Lorentz Oscillator Model

Abstract

This article is devoted to the description of the Lorentz oscillator model, which refers to the classical concept that electrons in an atom behave as forced damped harmonic oscillators under the influence of an oscillating electric field. This idea has been used to derive expressions for complex dielectric function, complex refractive index and normal incidence reflectivity and their detailed analysis. These quantities have also been discussed for the Drude model for metals, which can be considered as a special case of the Lorentz model.  Some typical applications of these models and their combination have also been dealt with. The fascinating thing about these models is that despite being classical in nature they lead to reasonably reliable results for otherwise quantum mechanical systems. An effort has been made to present the material in a pedagogical manner so that it can be easily followed by undergraduate students.