COMSATS Institute of Information Technology,

Park Road, Chak Shahzad, Islamabad

Department of Physics
Electromagnetic Theory and Applications (PHY 422)

Assign. 3
22-03-16

Max. marks = 20

Due date: 29-03-16

1. Find all the elements of the Maxwell stress tensor for a monochromatic plane wave
traveling in the z direction and linearly polarized in the y direction.
3
2. Consider an infinite parallel-plate capacitor, with lower plate (at z = d/2) carrying
a charge density , and the upper plate (at z = +d/2) carrying a charge density +.
(a) Calculate all the elements of the Maxwell stress tensor.
(b) Calculate the momentum stored in the EM fields.
(c) Calculate the momentum per unit area per unit time crossing the xy plane.
2+2+2
2. Determine the polarization types of the following waves, and indicate the direction or
the sense of rotation.


~ (t) = E0x x + 2
E
y cos (t) .
~ (t) = E0x (
E
x y) cos (t) .
~ (t) = 2 cos (t) x 3 sin (t) y.
E
~ (t) = 2 [cos (t) x + sin (t) y] .
E
~ (t) = E0x [cos (t) x 3 sin (t) y] .
E
15
3. Suppose that Xeiax + Y eibx = Zeicx for some nonzero constants X, Y , Z, a, b, c, and
for all x. Prove that a = b = c and X + Y = Z.
2
4. Suppose that xy plane forms the boundary between two linear media, at z = 0. A
plane wave of frequency , traveling in the z direction and polarized in the x direction,
is incident on the interface at an angle I = 0. Calculate the exact reflection and
transmission coefficients (i.e., without assuming 1 = 2 = 0 ).
2
5. With reference to Q4, confirm that R + T = 1.
2
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