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1 vote
0 answers
12 views

What actually happens when light goes into a waveguide?

I have only dealt with a rudimentary theoretical treatment of how light propagates inside a waveguide, such as those available in Griffiths. One thing bugging me is that I still do not know how ...
hendlim's user avatar
  • 659
1 vote
0 answers
22 views

Double refraction - Direction of propagation of extraordinary wave inside the birefringent medium

I am reading Optics by Ajoy Ghatak, in which the author explains the phenomenon of double refraction in a calcite crystal using Huygens' principle. My query is in the analysis of the case of normal ...
Enigma's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
1 answer
46 views

Why does radiation of small wavelength interact with small objects?

I was reading chapter 2 from the book 'Diagnostic Radiology Physics : A handbook for Students and Teachers', and came across the following quote "X rays of energy of a few tens of ...
In the blind's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
95 views

How to compute the diffraction efficiency of a thin phase grating with arbitrary groove shape?

From Magnusson and Gaylord (1978), the wave amplitudes, $S_i(z)$, of $p$-polarized light for a thin, arbitrary phase grating are given by the equation $$ \frac{\partial S_i}{\partial z} + \gamma \sum_{...
Roy Smart's user avatar
  • 123
0 votes
1 answer
115 views

Why is the Poynting flux not conserved across the interface between two conducting materials?

This question is part of my attempt to use an answer to another question I've posted on this site. If I have two materials with complex indices of refraction, $\widetilde{n}_0$ and $\widetilde{n}_1$, ...
Roy Smart's user avatar
  • 123
2 votes
1 answer
46 views

Is there a way to use the optical transfer-matrix method to determine the absorbance of each layer in a multilayer stack?

I've implemented the transfer-matrix method to determine the the transmittance and reflectance of a multilayer stack of thin films. I know that (ignoring scattering) the absorbance of the entire stack ...
Roy Smart's user avatar
  • 123
0 votes
0 answers
42 views

Spherical laser beam terminology

I am currently seeking the correct terminology for a beam that expands linearly from a fixed point, resulting in its wavefronts forming spherical surfaces. However, the beam does not expand in all ...
mathslover's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is it possible to get an electromagnetic wave equation if the speed of light were infinite?

In an old question: How would night sky look like if the speed of light was infinite? the best answer was voted down to negative credits. I cannot understand why. From Maxwell's equations, we derive ...
wiljo's user avatar
  • 59
1 vote
1 answer
87 views

What is light? how is it connected to electromagnetic radiation?

I am trying to understand how light works and electromagnetic radiation, from what I understand charges cause disturbances in electric fields, which triggers a magnetic field, and then the back and ...
Ranvir Choudhary's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
38 views

Cross section along the single transmission path of electron

I am studying this research paper "Forecasting of ionospheric vertical total electron content (TEC) using LSTM networks" about ionosphere, but in introduction section I phrase I didn't ...
HDD's user avatar
  • 101
0 votes
0 answers
32 views

Electromagnetic Field in a 3D Cavity with Lossy Boundary

I would like to find the electric and magnetic fields inside a cubic cavity with a lossy boundary (i.e. NOT a perfect conductor). I assume that the interior of the cavity is filled with a homogeneous ...
amrit 's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
15 views

Why is the intensity of a beam of light the squared magnitude of the phasor and not just the squared magnitude of the real part?

I'm learning about phasors and light intensity and there are two conflicting things I've been told that I can't reconcile. Firstly I've been told that a phasor $e^{-ikz+i\phi}$ is a mathematical way ...
Hadi Khan's user avatar
  • 531
1 vote
0 answers
28 views

How does parameters of the constitutive relation of electromagnetic media be constrained as for chiral, nonreciprocal or loss media?

The constitutive equations are: $$ \bf D =\varepsilon E +\xi H \\ B =\mu H + \zeta E $$ Why, when the media is nonreciprocal, the parameters $\xi$ and $\zeta$ only can take the real part equals zero,...
Hing Cu's user avatar
  • 13
1 vote
1 answer
51 views

Would we be able to see the superposition of two X-rays where the frequency of the modulation matches visible light?

Suppose I had the superposition of two electromagnetic waves whose angular frequency was in the X-ray region. Together they form a composite made of a carrier wave and a modulation wave where the ...
Hadi Khan's user avatar
  • 531
0 votes
2 answers
100 views

Why In an electromagnetic wave both electric and magnetic waves are in sync and perpendeculare? if one makes the other shouldnt there be a delay? [closed]

Why are electric and magnetic waves in phase if one induces the other? Shouldn't there be a delay, similar to how potential energy converts to kinetic energy and vice versa? Additionally, why are ...
user402553's user avatar

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