IISER Kolkata

Department of Physical Sciences

Advanced Electromagnetism & Optics, Autumn Semester 2016
Assignment-1, dated 30/8/2016
Due date: 9/9/2016
Max. Marks: 16
[1.5+1.5+3]
Q1. (a) For a dissipative medium (having conductivity ), the damping constant of free electron is =
1014 s-1. At a frequency = 1012 s-1 of an EM wave, the magnetic field B is observed to lag behind
the electric field E by a phase of /4. Comment which one of the following is true for this medium
~ 1 , (ii)
1, (iii)
1. [ is the bound electron contribution of permittivity]. Provide
(i)
brief explanation for your answer.
(b) Comment on the relative magnitudes of transverse and longitudinal components of the Electric
field for the above medium.
(c) Two dielectric media (medium 1 and 2) have an identical resonance frequency
, but different
values of damping constant of bound electrons (say
< ). In which one of the two media would the
phase velocity of light be higher in the neighborhood of resonance ( > )? Briefly explain your
answer
on
the
basis
of
phase
change
across
the
resonance
frequency.
[3+ 1.5 + 1.5+2+2]
Q2. (a) Show that in a good conductor, the relaxation equation for charge density (t) can be written
as:
+

=0

is the bound electron contribution of permittivity and other symbols have their usual meaning].

(b) Discuss briefly the physical significance of the solution

(t) of the above equation.

(c) Comment when would plasmon be a well-defined entity among the following two cases
(i)

!"
#

!"

= 1032 s-2 ,

= 1014 s-1 and (ii) #

= 1032 s-2 ,

= 1017 s-1.

(d) Qualitatively discuss the relative magnitudes of time average electric and magnetic field energy
densities for the following three cases - (i) frequency of light
(iii)

!"

=$#

!"

$#

(ii)

. What would be the magnitude of Poynting vector S in case(iii)?

(e) Show that in case (iii), electric field is completely longitudinal.

!"

$#

and