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Introduction
If an electric field vector propagates,
it generates a magnetic field vector.
Or, is it the other way?
What do you think? Or is it just
another chicken and egg debate
Electromagnetic waves are
everywhere: visible light, radio
waves, microwave, gamma rays, X
rays! Even in vaccum!
Maxwells equations
After Ampere and Faraday came James Clark Maxwell. He
penned a set of four equations that draw Gauss, Ampere, and
Faradays laws together in a comprehensive description of the
behavior of electromagnetic waves.
Dont hate Maxwell for these equations. Arent they elegant?
Qencl
E
d
A
=
B dA = 0
d
E dl = 0 dtB
d
B dl = 0 (iC + 0 dtE )
Maximum +y
Maximum -y
1
0 0
Qencl
E
d
A
=
B dA = 0
B
(There is no excess charge,
or currents!)
Faradys law
dB
= Ea
dt
dB BdA B(a(cdt))
=
=
= Bac
dt
dt
dt
E = cB
E dl =
Amperes law
B dl =
0 0
dE
= Ba
dt
dE
= Eac
dt
Ba = 0 0 Eac
Ba = 0 0 (cB)ac
1
c2 =
0 0
So strange!
Care to verify it?
EB
Propagation direction: E B
Question: What if E and B change directions during the
propagation. For example, they rotate. And they do!
Q32.1
In a vacuum, red light has a wavelength of 700 nm and violet light
has a wavelength of 400 nm.
This means that in a vacuum, red light
A. has higher frequency and moves faster than violet light.
B. has higher frequency and moves slower than violet light.
C. has lower frequency and moves faster than violet light.
D. has lower frequency and moves slower than violet light.
E. none of the above
Q32.2
At a certain point in space, the electric and magnetic fields of
an electromagnetic wave at a certain instant are given by
B. negative x-direction.
C. positive y-direction.
D. negative y-direction.
Q32.3
A sinusoidal electromagnetic wave in a vacuum is
propagating in the positive z-direction.
At a certain point in the wave at a certain instant in time,
the electric field points in the negative x-direction.
At the same point and at the same instant, the magnetic
field points in the
A. positive y-direction .
B. negative y-direction.
C. positive z-direction.
D. negative z-direction.
Far enough from the source and considering one polarization of the vector
planes only, the representations of electric and magnetic fields may be
treated as orthogonal and sinusoidal waves.
c
= Why?
f
= 2f = ck
k=
c
=
f
= 2f = ck
E max
cos(kx + t)
c
k=
Why?
Q32.4
In a sinusoidal electromagnetic wave in a vacuum, the electric
field has only an x-component. This component is given by
Ex = Emax cos (ky + t)
This wave propagates in the
A. positive z-direction.
B. negative z-direction.
C. positive y-direction.
D. negative y-direction.
E. none of the above
Q32.7
The drawing shows a
sinusoidal electromagnetic
wave in a vacuum at one
instant of time at points
between x = 0 and x = .
At this instant, at which values
of x does the instantaneous
Poynting vector have its
maximum magnitude?
A. x = 0 and x = only
C. x = /2 only
D. x = 0, x = /2, and x =
dU = udV = ( 0 E 2 )(Acdt)
1 dU
S
Poynting vector:
(not pointing)
EM wave in matter
EM wave travels slower in matter.
Instead of
We have
1
in vacuum
0 0
1
v2 =
for the wave
c2 =
speed in matter.
In the next chapter, we will learn n=c/v is the refraction index for
Light
(or any EM wave)