Lecture 5

Chapter 3
Electromagnetic Theory, Photons,
and Light

Maxwell equations

Gausss

B dS 0

Gausss

1
E dS q

In matter

d
Faradays CE dl AB dS
dt

E
Ampre dS
B dl J

A
Maxwells C
t

fields are defined through interaction with charges

Lorentz force: F qE qv B

Maxwell equations: free space, no charges

Current J and charge are zero
Integral form of Maxwell equations in free space:

no magnetic charges
SB dS 0

no electric charges
SE dS 0

dB
changing magnetic field
E dl
dS

C
A
creates changing electric

dt
field

E
changing electric field
CB dl 0 0 A t dS
creates changing magnetic
field

There is remarkable symmetry between electric and magnetic fields!

Maxwell equations: differential form

(free space)

E 0

B 0

B
E
t

E
B 0 0
t

j k
Notation:
x
y
z
2
2
2
2
Laplacian: 2 2 2
x
y
z

E x E y E z
E div ( E )

0
y
x
z
E z E y E x E z E y E x
E

i
k
j
z z
x x
y
y

E curl (E )
E E
B
z

y
z
t
B y
E x E z

t
x
z
E y E x
B
z

t
y
x

Electromagnetic waves
(free space)

B
E
t

E
B 0 0
t

Changing E field creates B field

Changing B field creates E field
Is it possible to create self-sustaining
EM field?
Can manipulate mathematically into:

2
2

E
B
2
2
E 0 0 2
B 0 0 2
t
t

Electromagnetic waves

E
2
E 0 0 2
t

j k
i
x
x
x
2
2
2
2
2 2 2
z
x
y

B
2
B 0 0 2
t
2
2
2
2

2
Resembles wave equation: 2 2 2 2 2
z
x
y
v t
2

2 Ex 2 Ex 2 Ex
2 Ex

0 0 2
2
2
2
x
y
z
t

2 Bx 2 Bx 2 Bx
2 Bx

0 0 2
2
2
2
x
y
z
t

2Ey

2Ey

2 By

2Ey
y

2Ey
z

0 0

2 Ez
2 Ez 2 Ez 2 Ez

0 0 2
2
2
2
x
y
z
t

2 By
y

2 By
z

0 0

2 By
t 2

2 Bz
2 B z 2 Bz 2 B z

0 0 2
2
2
2
x
y
z
t

Each component of the EM field obeys the scalar wave equation,

1
provided that
v
0 0

Light - electromagnetic wave?

Maxwell in ~1865 found that EM wave must move at speed v

0 0

At that time permittivity 0 and permeability 0 were known from

electric/magnetic force measurements and Maxwell calculated
v

0 0

310,740 km/s

Speed of light was also measured by Fizeau in 1849: 315,300 km/s

Maxwell wrote:
This velocity is so nearly that of light, that it seems we have strong reason to
conclude that light itself (including radiant heat, and other radiations if
any) is an electromagnetic disturbance in the form of waves propagated
through the electromagnetic field according to electromagnetic laws.
celer (lat. - fast)

Exact value of speed of light: c = 2.997 924 58 108 m/s

Electromagnetic wave
Assume: reference frame is chosen so that E=(Ex,0,0)
longitudinal wave, propagates along x

E 0

B 0

E x E y E z
0

z
x
y

B
E
t

E
B 0 0
t

E x
0
x

Ex does not vary with x

This cannot be a wave!

Conclusion: it must be transverse wave,
i.e. Ex=0. Similarly Bx=0.
Since E is perpendicular to x, we must
specify its direction as a function of time

Direction of vector E in EM wave is called polarization

Simple case: polarization is fixed, i.e. direction of E does not change

Polarized electromagnetic wave

We are free to chose y-axis so that E field propagating along x is
polarized along y: (0, Ey ,0).

E y
Bz
E 0
Bx
Ez E y

t
y
z
x
t
B 0
By
Ex Ez

Also: Bx=By=const (=0)

B
t
z
x
E
E y Ex
Bz
t

x
y
t

E
B 0 0
t
E-field of wave has only y component
B-field of wave has only z component
(for polarized wave propagating along x)
In free space,
the plane EM wave is transverse

Harmonic polarized electromagnetic wave

Harmonic functions are solution for wave equation:
E y x, t E0 y cos t x / c
polarized along y axis

propagates along x axis

Find B:
E y

Bz

x
t

Bz

E y
x

dt

1
Bz x, t E0 y cos t x / c
c
E y cBz

This is true for any wave:

- amplitude ratio is c
- E and B are in-phase

Harmonic polarized electromagnetic wave

Electromagnetic waves
* direction of propagation is in
the direction of cross-product:

EB

* EM field does not move in

space, only disturbance does.
Changing E field creates
changing B field and vice versa

Energy of EM wave
It was shown (in Phys 272) that field
energy densities are:
0 2 u 1 B2
uE E
B
2 0
2
Since E=cB and c=(00)-1/2:
uE uB

- the energy in EM wave is shared equally

between electric and magnetic fields
Total energy: u uE uB 0 E
2

B 2 (W/m2)

The Poynting vector

EM field contains energy that propagates
through space at speed c
Energy transported through area A in time
t: uAct
Energy S transported by a wave through
unit area in unit time:
E

c2

1
1
uAct
2
0 EB EB
S
uc c 0 E c 0 E cB
0 0
0
At

John Henry Poynting

(1852-1914)

The Poynting vector:

1
S
EB
0

power flow per unit area for a

wave, direction of propagation
is direction of S.

(units: W/m2)

The Poynting vector: polarized harmonic wave

1
S
EB

Polarized EM wave:


E E0 cos k r t


B B0 cos k r t

Poynting vector:

1
2
S
E0 B0 cos k r t
0

This is instantaneous value: S is oscillating

Light field oscillates at ~10 15 Hz most detectors will see average value of S.

Irradiance (used to be called Intensity)

Average value for periodic function:
need to average one period only.
It can be shown that average of cos2 is:
And average power flow per unit time:
Irradiance:
c 0 2
I S T
E0
2

1
2
S
E0 B0 cos k r t

cos 2 t 1 2
T
1
c 0 2
S T
E0 B0
E0
2 0
2

Alternative eq-ns:
c
2
I c 0 E

B2
T
0

For linear isotropic

dielectric:
T

I v E 2

Irradiance is proportional to the square of the amplitude of the E field

Usually mostly E-field component interacts with matter, and we
will refer to E as optical field and use energy eq-ns with E

Optical power radiant flux total power falling on some area (Watts)

Spherical wave: inverse square law

Spherical waves are produced by point sources.
As you move away from the source light intensity
drops

Spherical wave eq-n:

A
r , t cosk r vt
r

E0
B0
E
cos k r t B
cos k r t
r
r

1 E0 B0 2
cos k r t
S
0 r
r

I S

c 0 1 2

E0
2
2 r

Inverse square law: the irradiance from a point source drops as 1/r2

Radiation pressure
Using classical EM theory Maxwell showed that radiation pressure
equals the energy density of the EM waves:
P u

0
2

E
2

1
2 0

S t
P t
c

S uc

This is the instantaneous pressure that would be exerted on a

perfectly absorbing surface by a normally incident beam
Average pressure:

P t T

S t T
c

(N/m2)

* for reflecting surface pressure doubles

Radiation pressure application

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Example problem
A laser pointer emits light at 630 nm in xy plane at =450 to axis x
(counter clock-wise). The light is polarized along axis z , beam
cross-section is A=1 mm2 and its power is P=1 mW.
1. Write an equation of E and B components of this EM wave for the
region of the beam.
z E


E E0 cos k r t
y
B
Find : 2 2c
Find k: k 2 i cos j sin
Find E0:
P
c 0 2
x
I
E0
Irradiance:
A
2

E0 2 P Ac 0
E0 2 P Ac 0 k

Electric field: E

2c
2P
2

i cos j sin r
t
k cos
Ac 0