The Optical Theorem and the Rayleigh-Gans Power Shortage

Several authors have written that the forward scattering power component addressed by the optical theorem is supposed to account for both extinction components (scattering and absorption), yet note that the scattering contribution is missing when the theorem is applied to the Rayleigh-Gans model. Some ad hoc repairs have been proposed. We demonstrate that careful bookkeeping in the derivation of the theorem reveals the source of the "paradox," resolving it without resort to extraneous considerations