Electromagnetic Waves

Maxwell Equations
⋆ A basic feature of Maxwell equations for the EM field is the existence
of travelling wave solutions which represent the transport of energy from
one point to another.
⋆ The simplest and most fundamental EM waves are transverse, plane
waves.
In a region of space where there are no free sources (ρ = 0, J = 0),
Maxwell’s equations reduce to a simple form given
∇ · E = 0 , ∇ × E
1 ∂
+
c
B
∂t
∇ · B = 0 , ∇ × B − µɛ
c
where D and H are given by relations
∂ E
∂t
= 0
= 0 (1)
D = ɛ E and H = 1
µ B (2)
where ɛ is the electric permittivity and µ the magnetic permeability
which assumed to be independent of the frequency.
Electromagnetic Waves