Theoretical expressions for the internal and external electromagnetic fields for an arbitrary electromagnetic beam incident upon a homogeneous spherical particle are derived, and numerical calculations based upon this theoretical development are presented. In particular, spatial distributions of the internal and near‐surface electric field magnitude (source function) for a focused fundamental (TEM00mode) Gaussian beam of 1.06 &mgr;m wavelength and 4 &mgr;m beam waist diameter incident upon a 5‐&mgr;m‐diam water droplet in air are presented as a function of the location of the beam focal point relative to the sphere center. The calculations indicate that the internal and near‐surface electric field magnitude distribution can be strongly dependent upon relative focal point positioning and may differ significantly from the corresponding electric field magnitude distribution expected from plane‐wave irradiation.