Lecture-10 on 27/01/2015

By: Rajendra S. Dhaka

(rsdhaka@physics.iitd.ac.in)

PYL100 course:
Electromagnetic Waves and
Quantum Mechanics
Properties of EM waves:
Monochromatic & plane EM waves:
Transverse character of EM waves:
Boundary Conditions: Reflection and transmission:
1

Properties of EM Waves
Transverse Wave: Both E & B perpendicular to propagation, k.
E, B and k follow the right-hand rule
EM waves can be created and
travel in vacuum (no medium
required) with speed c
E & B are in phase and E= cB
Un-polarized and Polarized waves
1
c=
= 3.00 108 m / s

0 0

(in vacuum)

v = f

Transverse character of EM waves

There are many methods to prove that the waves as
predicted by the wave equation derived from
Maxwells equations, are indeed transverse in nature.
Suppose the waves are traveling in the +z-direction,
and have no x- or y- dependence.
Such waves are called plane waves, because the
fields are uniform over every plane perpendicular
to the propagation direction.

Wave Equation

9.2.2 Monochromatic Plane Waves

Fixed frequency/wavelength
Wave is travelling in z-direction and has no x- and y- dependence
Fields are uniform over every plane perpendicular to the
direction of propagation.

Consider following forms of the fields:

"
"
i ( kz t )
!
!
( z,t) = 0 e
"
"
i ( kz t )
!
!
B( z,t) = B0 e

! are the complex amplitudes

where E! 0 and B
0
with no x and y dependence.

!
!
B
2
B = oo 2
t
2

!
!
E and B should, apart from wave equation,

also follow Maxwells equations.

and

"
E! = [( E! 0 ) x x + ( E! 0 ) y y + ( E! 0 ) z z ] e i ( kzt )
"
E! = E! x x + E! y y + E! z z
!
!
! E!

E
y
x
E =
+
+ z =0
x
y
z
!
E= 0 + 0+ i k (E" 0 ) z e i ( kzt ) = 0
(E! 0 ) z = 0

Being plane waves,

and
are constants
(no x and y dependence)

i.e., no z component!

!
Applying B=0
" ) =0
gives (B
0 z

v Electromagnetic waves are transverse.

v The electric and magnetic fields are
5
perpendicular to the direction of propagation.

Next, we have,
"
"
!
! e i ( kzt )
(z,t)
=
"
"0
!
B(z,t)
= B!0e i ( kzt )

"
B! = [( B!0 ) x x + ( B!0 ) y y + ( B!0 ) z z ] e i (kzt )

Maxwells (iii) equation:

x-component
y-component
z-component

!
!
B
E =
t
E y
Bx
EZ

=
y
z
t
By
E x
EZ

=
z
x
t
E y
E x
Bz

=
x
y
t

Now, we can write the x- and y- components as following:

Because

Now, using these equations:

We get the following:

Magnetic vector is perpendicular to electric vector.

reaching their maximum and minimum values at the same time

Example 9.2 of Griffiths

This represents a
monochromatic
plane wave.
The wave as a whole is said to be polarized in the xdirection (by convention, we use the direction of E to
specify the polarization of an electromagnetic wave). 9

Generalization:
There is nothing special about z-direction. It can travel! in an arbitrary
direction. We consider a propagation (or wave) vector, k , pointing in the
,
direction of propagation, whose
amplitude is the wave number k.

! !
k r is the appropriate generalization of k z.

!!
!
! r ,t) = E! e i ( k r t ) n
E(
o

n is the polarization vector.

! i ( k!r!t )
E
!
1
! r ,t) = o e
!
= ( k E)
B(
( k n)
c
! c
Since E is transverse
n k = 0
The actual (real) electric & magnetic
fields in a monochromatic plane wave:

!!
! !
E( r ,t) = E0 cos( k .r t + )n
!!
! !
1

B( r ,t) = E0 cos( k .r t + )( k n)
c

!
r = xx + yy + zz
r is the position vector which defines a
point in three-dimensional space.
is the wave vector
10

11

Boundary Conditions: Reflection and transmission

Consider the sinusoidal wave being a string wave.
When this string is attached to a block or even to a
second string by a knot, we have an interface, with
specific boundary conditions.

Interface : Boundary conditions

Let's say, for convenience, that the knot/interface

occurs at z = 0.

Interface: Boundary Conditions (Reflection and Transmission)

vsame frequency
vsame tension T

i(kz t ) i
i(kz t )
!
(z,
t)
=
A
e
e
=
Ae
f

vdifferent mass/length
vdifferent velocity & k..
~

Incident wave:

i(k1z t )
!
(z,
t)
=
A
e
f
I
I
~

Reflected wave:
Transmitted wave:

R
~

f
T

for (z < 0)

~ i ( k1z t )
( z, t ) = AR e

for (z < 0)

i (k2 z t )
!
(z,t) = AT e

for (z > 0)

Interface: Boundary Conditions (Reflection and Transmission)

The net disturbance is:

(z

< 0)

(z > 0)

At the boundary (z = 0),

f(z,t) should be continuous.
Therefore,
If the knot itself is of negligible mass, the
derivative of must also be continuous:
should be same
for complex
wave function

Applying above conditions to the real wave function,

one can derive the relationship between incident,
reflected and transmitted amplitudes and velocities.
The real amplitudes and phases are related by
2v2
v2 v1
iT
i I
i I
AT e =
AI e
AR e =
AI e
v2 + v1
v2 + v1
If the second medium is lighter than the first
iR

all three waves have the same phase angle ( R = T = I )

the corresponding amplitudes are
v2 v1
2v2
AR =
AI
AT =
AI
v2 + v1
v2 + v1

If the second medium is heavier than the first

the reflected wave is out of phase by 180o:

( R + = T = I )

In other words, since

cos k1 z t + I = cos k1 z t + I
the reflected wave is upside down

in this case, the amplitudes are:

v1 v2
AR =
AI
v2 + v1

2v2
AT =
AI
v2 + v1

If the second string is infinitely massive

there is no transmitted waveall of it reflects back

Change of phase due to reflection:

A very nice animation can be seen at:

http://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/Demos/reflect/reflect.html