EM Waves in material media

S.M.Lea
2012
1 Wave propagation
As usual, we start with Maxwells equations with no free charges:

D = 0

B = 0

E =

B
t

H =


D
t
+

j
If we now assume that each eld has the plane wave form

E =

E
0
e
i(

kxt)
(or
equivalently, we Fourier transform everything), the equations simplify:

k

D = 0

k

B = 0

k

E =

B (1)
i

k

H = i

D +

j
Then, for an LIH, conducting medium, we can eliminate

D =

E,

H =

B/ and

j =

E
to get:

k

E = 0

k

B =

E i

E =
_
1 + i

_

E (2)
For now lets take = 0 (non-conducting medium). Then we get the wave equation:

k
_

k

B
_
=

k
_

k

B
_
k
2

B =

k

E
k
2

B =
2

B (3)
So the wave phase speed is
v

=

k
=
1

and the refractive index is:

n =
c
v

=
_

0
1
and
k =

c
n (4)
Then equation 1 becomes:
n

k

E = c

B (5)
For most materials in which

B =

H is a useful relation,
0
, so the refractive index is
primarily determined by the dielectric constant .
2 Reection and transmission of waves at a boundary
Now lets consider a wave incident on a at boundary (which we choose to be the
x yplane) at an angle of incidence , with

E =

E
i
exp
_
i

k
i
x it
_
In general there will be a transmitted wave with

E =

E
t
exp
_
i

k
t
x i
t
t
_
and a reected wave with

E =

E
r
exp
_
i

k
r
x i
r
t
_
The plane of incidence is the plane containing the normal to the boundary and the incident
ray, that is n and

k
i
. We choose the axes so that the plane of incidence is the x zplane.
The angle of incidence is the angle between

k
i
and n = z. The boundary conditions we
have to satisfy are (Notes 1 equations 4,6,7 and 9):
n

D = D
z
is continuous (6)
n

B = B
z
is continuous (7)

E
tan
is continuous (8)

H
tan
is continuous (9)
For most ordinary materials /
0
1, so we shall ignore the difference between

B and

0

H.
In order to satisfy the boundary conditions for all times t and at all x and y, we must
have

k x t = k
x
x + k
z
z t the same for each wave at the boundary z = 0. That is,
each wave has the same frequency and k
x
= k sin is the same for each wave. From (4)
with xed , we also have k
r
= k
i
and k
t
=
n2
n
1
k
i
. So the angle of incidence equals the
angle of reection, and
k
i
sin = k
t
sin
t
=
n
2
n
1
k
i
sin
t
(10)
which gives Snells law.
Notice that the physical argument that gives the laws of reection and refraction
(boundary conditions must hold for all time and everywhere on the boundary) is independent
of the kind of wave and the specic form of the boundary conditions, and so these laws hold
for waves of all kinds (sound waves, seismic waves, surface water waves, etc.).
2
We now have four equations to solve for the unknowns

E
r
and

E
t
. Since we know the
direction of

k, and

E is perpendicular to

k, there are two components of each vector in the
plane perpendicular to

k, so we have four unknowns. We can simplify by decomposing the

incident light into two specic linear polarizations.
2.1 Polarization perpendicular to the plane of incidence
For polarization perpendicular to the plane of incidence,

E is perpendicular to this plane
(that is,

E = E
y
y). The vectors

E and

B in the waves are as shown in the diagram. The
direction of

B is chosen so that

S, the Poynting vector, is in the correct direction for each
wave.
In this case there are only two unknowns, but the boundary condition 6 is trivially
satised, since D
z
= 0. The remaining three conditions cannot all be independent. From 8
we have:
E
i
+ E
r
= E
t
(11)
and from 9 we have:
B
xi
+ B
xr
= B
xt
and from equation 5 we nd cB
x
= n

k
z
E
y
, so we may rewrite this equation in terms of the
electric eld components.
n
1
cos (E
i
E
r
) = n
2
E
t
cos
t
= n
2
cos
t
(E
i
+ E
r
) (12)
where we used equation (11) in the last step. The nal BC is
B
yi
+ B
yr
= B
yt
n
1
sin (E
i
+ Er) = n
2
sin
t
E
t
which merely duplicates eqn (11). Rearranging eqn (12), we get
E
i
(n
1
cos n
2
cos
t
) = E
r
(n
1
cos + n
2
cos
t
)
3
Solving for E
r
, and using Snells law, we have
E
r
=
n
1
cos n
2
cos
t
n
1
cos + n
2
cos
t
E
i
=
n
1
cos n
2
_
1
_
n
1
n2
_
2
sin
2

n
1
cos + n
2
_
1
_
n
1
n2
_
2
sin
2

E
i
E
r
=
n
1
cos
_
n
2
2
n
2
1
sin
2

n
1
cos +
_
n
2
2
n
2
1
sin
2

E
i
(13)
The reected amplitude depends on the angle of incidence, and on the ratio of the two
refractive indices. From equation 13 we can conclude that E
r
has the opposite sign from E
i
if n
2
> n
1
, independent of the angle . Thus the wave has a phase change of if n
2
> n
1
,
as we learn in elementary optics.
Finally from equation 11, we nd the transmitted amplitude:
E
t
= E
i
2n
1
cos
n
1
cos +
_
n
2
2
n
2
1
sin
2

(14)
2.2 Polarization parallel to the plane of incidence
The

E and

B elds in this polarization look like this:
and boundary condition (7) is trivially satised. Boundary condition 9 with
1
=
2
=
0
together with eqn (5) gives
B
i
+ B
r
= B
t
n
1
(E
i
+ E
r
) = n
2
E
t
(15)
4
Then 8 gives:
(E
i
E
r
) cos = E
t
cos
t
=
n
1
n
2
(E
i
+ E
r
)
_
1
_
n
1
n
2
_
2
sin
2
(16)
The nal boundary condition (6) is

1
(E
i
+ E
r
) sin =
2
E
t
sin
t
and duplicates eqn (15).
Eqn (16) gives E
r
:
E
i
_
_
cos
n
1
n
2
_
1
_
n
1
n
2
_
2
sin
2

_
_
= E
r
_
_
cos +
n
1
n
2
_
1
_
n
1
n
2
_
2
sin
2

_
_
So
E
r
= E
i
cos
n1
n2
_
1
_
n1
n2
_
2
sin
2

cos +
n1
n
2
_
1
_
n1
n
2
_
2
sin
2

= E
i
n
2
2
cos n
1
_
n
2
2
n
2
1
sin
2

n
2
2
cos + n
1
_
n
2
2
n
2
1
sin
2

(17)
and then from (15):
E
t
=
n
1
n
2
E
i
2n
2
2
cos
n
2
2
cos + n
1
_
n
2
2
n
2
1
sin
2

= E
i
2n
1
n
2
cos
n
2
2
cos + n
1
_
n
2
2
n
2
1
sin
2

(18)
2.3 Polarization by reection
Since the reected amplitudes (17) and (13) are not the same in the two different
polarizations, the reected light is always partially polarized when the incident light is
unpolarized. Equation (17) shows that the reected amplitude in the polarization parallel to
the plane of incidence is zero if:
n
2
2
cos n
1
_
n
2
2
n
2
1
sin
2
= 0
or (writing 1 = cos
2
+ sin
2
)
n
4
2
n
2
1
cos
2
= n
2
2
_
cos
2
+ sin
2

_
n
2
1
sin
2

n
2
2
cos
2

_
n
2
2
n
2
1
_
= n
2
1
sin
2

_
n
2
2
n
2
1
_
Thus either n
1
= n
2
(no boundary), or
tan =
n
2
n
1
(19)
5
This is Brewsters angle.
Can this also happen for the other polarization? We would need:
n
1
cos
_
n
2
2
n
2
1
sin
2
= 0
n
2
1
cos
2
= n
2
2
n
2
1
sin
2

or n
2
= n
1
. So the reected eld amplitude for this polarization is not zero unless there is
no boundary. Thus when unpolarized light is incident at Brewsters angle, the reected light
is 100% polarized perpendicular to the plane of incidence. At other angles of incidence, the
reected light is partially polarized.
3 Waves in a Conducting medium
3.1 Propagation
If we now include the conductivity of the medium, (non-zero in (2)), the dispersion
relation (3) becomes:
k
2
=
2

_
1 + i

_
and thus the solution for k is complex.
k = |k| e
i
= |k| (cos + i sin) = + i
where
|k|
2
=
2

_
1 +
_

_
2
(20)
tan2 =

(21)
Then
e
i

kx
= e
i

kx
e

kx
The imaginary part of k indicates spatial attenuation of the wave,
Imk = =

_
1 +
_

_
2
_
1/4
sin
while the real part of k gives the wave phase speed
v
ph
= /.
If is small (/ 1), we may expand the functions (20) and (21) to rst order:
|k| =

_
1 +
1
4
_

_
2
_

=

2
and we get back the expected results as 0. The imaginary part of k is small because
is small.
Im(k)

2
=

2
_

6
and
v
ph

1

But if is large (/ 1), /4, and

Im(k)

2
=
_

2
= Re (k)
The wave is damped within a short distance 1/ =
_
2/. The distance is called
the skin depth.
In a conducting medium the relations between the elds are (eqn 1):

B =
1

|k| e
i
_

k

E
_
so is also the phase shift between the elds. If is small ( , low conductivity) then
the amplitude of

B is almost the same as the amplitude of

E times

, and the phase shift

is also small. But if is large ( , high conductivity) then

is much larger than

, and the phase shift is almost /4 . Also the phase speed is given by
v

c
=

0
Re (k)
=

0
_

2
=
_
2
0

1
To summarize, in a good conductor the wave elds are primarily magnetic,

E and

B are
out of phase by /4, and the wave phase speed is very slow.
3.2 Reection and refraction at a boundary with a conducting medium
How does this affect the reection and refraction of a wave? Consider a wave incident on a
conducting medium. Inside the conductor the elds behave like
exp(ik
t
xsin
t
+ ik
t
z cos
t
it) = exp
_
ikxsin + ik
t
z
_
1
k
2
k
2
t
sin
2
it
_
where k is the incident wave number. Lets look at the coefcient of z :
ik
t
cos
t
= i
_
k
2
t
k
2
sin
2
= i
_

2
k
2
sin
2
+ 2i
For a good conductor, with
=

2
2
=
_

2
=
1

we have:
ik
t
cos
t
= k sin
_
1 i
2
k
2

2
sin
2

= k sin
_
1 +
_
2
k
2

2
sin
2

_
2
_
1/4
e
i/2
k

2
k
e
i/2
=

e
i/2
(k 1) (22)
7
where
tan =
2
k
2

2
sin
2

and thus /2, and e

i/2
(1 i) /

2. This shows that the elds in the conducting

medium propagate only a distance of order in the zdirection (normal to the boundary).
(Note
k =

1
_
2

_
2
1

2
n
1
n
2
_

2
_
1/2
so k is small when / is large.)
For polarization perpendicular to the plane of incidence (only E
y
non-zero), equation 11
still holds, but the second boundary condition (equation 9) becomes (using 22):
(E
i
E
r
) cos = E
t
k
t
k
cos
t
= E
t
i

2
k
e
i/2
E
t
(1 + i)
k
Combining with equation 11, we have:
2E
i
= E
t
_
1 +
_
i + 1
k cos
__
E
t
1
k
_
i + 1
cos
_
or
E
t
= 2E
i
k cos
(1 + i)
= E
i
k cos (1 i)
which is very small (|E
t
| E
i
). Thus almost all the wave energy is reected. A similar
result holds for the other polarization.
See also problems 7.4 and 7.5.
8