Light generation at the nano-scale, key to interferometry at the nano-scale

The feasibility of recording optical information at the nanometric level was considered for a long time restricted by the wavelength of light. The concept of wavelength of light in classical optics is a direct consequence of the standard solution of the Maxwell equations for purely harmonic functions. Propagating harmonic light waves in vacuum or air satisfy the required mathematical conditions imposed by the Maxwell equations. Hence, in classical optics, the concept of wavelength of light was associated with that type of waves. Mathematically speaking, one can derive solutions of the Maxwell equations utilizing Fourier integrals and show that light generated in a volume with dimensions much smaller than the wavelength of light will have periods in the sub-wavelength region. Every oscillator, whether a mass on a spring, a violin string, or a Fabry–Perot cavity, share common properties deriving from the mathematics of vibrating systems and the solutions of the differential equations that govern vibratory motions. In this paper, some common properties of vibrating systems are utilized to analyze the process of light generation in nano-domains. Although simple, the present model illustrates the process of light generation without getting into the very complex subject of the solution of quantum resonators.