03/11/2016, Jagadish C.

Mudiganti Plane Waves

Plane Waves

ECE1003 Electromagnetic Field Theory

Lecture - 21
 Plane Waves
 The foremost application of Maxwell’s equations can be found in
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

Plane Waves
 What is a wave ? - a disturbance or oscillation (of a physical quantity),
that travels through matter or space, accompanied by a transfer of
energy, with negligible or no transfer of matter
 What are the Wave-Types ? – Pressure or Longitudinal waves where
the displacement of the disturbance is along the direction of
propagation of the wave. Whereas in Transverse wave, it is
perpendicular to the direction of propagation
 Do they require a medium ? – Longitudinal waves require a medium,
since they are mechanical waves. Transverse waves require no
medium and they propagate on alternating effects of electric and
magnetic fields.
 Luminiferous Aether was assumed as a superfluous medium which
enables EM waves to propagate, but Michelson – Morley
1 interferometer disproved this theory.
 Plane Waves
 A plane wave is a constant-frequency wave whose wavefronts
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

(surfaces of constant phase) are infinite parallel planes of constant

amplitude normal to the phase velocity vector.
Spherical Wavefront
Plane Wavefront Cylindrical Wavefront

Plane Wave
Example

2
 Plane Waves
 For an isotropic, source-free and homogenous medium, the wave
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

equation can be written as

Isotropic – Radiation intensity is same in all directions
Homogenous – The material properties are constant
Source-free – There are no charges or current sources

Maxwell’s Equations Source Free

B H 
 E     E  
t t 

D E 
 H  J   H   J  0,  v  0
t t 
  D  v E  0 
H  0 
B  0 
3
 Plane Waves
Taking curl of the first two equations, we have
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

   E 
  (  E )      H      
t t  t 
   H 
  (  H )     E      
t t  t 
Applying the vector identity   (  F )   (  F )   2 F

We have   (  E )   (  E )   2 E
  (  H )   (  H )   2 H
 2
E since
 E   2
2
Vector Plane wave or t E  0
Helmholtz equations
 2
H H  0
 H   2
2

4 t
 Solutions of Wave Equation
 Phasor form of plane wave equation can be written as
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

 2 E s   2E s 
  j
 2 H s   2H s t

 If z is the direction of propagation, then the above equations can have a

solution of the form
E x ( z , t )  E  e jt e  jz  E  e jt e jz 
H y ( z , t )  H  e jt e  jz  H  e jt e jz 
 Let us consider a part of the above solution to understand the wave
properties
E x ( z , t )  E  e jt e  jz  E  cost   z   j sin t   z 

E   is the amplitude of the wave (here it is forward

5
amplitude in +z direction)
 Properties of a Wave
 Any wave can be characterized by the below parameters for a
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

lossless medium

  2f  Angular frequency of the wave in radians/sec

  v pT  Wavelength (distance between two successive
Crests or Troughs) (T = 1/f is period in sec)
1 
vp    f  Phase velocity of the wave
 
 2
       Wave number or phase constant
vp 
1 2
T   Period of the wave in sec, and f is frequency in
f  Hertz

6
 A. Plane Wave in Lossy Dielectric
 A lossy dielectric is a material in which the EM wave loses power
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

while it is propagating through it

 Which means the medium has finite conductivity (  0)
 Considering a linear, homogenous, isotropic, charge-free, lossy
dielectric medium, we can write the plane wave equations as
 2 Es  j   j E s
 2 H s  j   j H s
where
 2  j   j   Propagation constant in per meter (m-1)

alternately     j

 Where  is the attenuation constant measured in Neper/m or dB/m

which gives the decay in wave amplitude and  is the phase constant as
7 defined previously
 A. Plane Wave in Lossy Dielectric
From previous equations we can write
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

Re  2    2   2   2 
And the magnitude as
 2   2   2    2   2 2
From both the above equations we can write

     
2 2
     ''
   1     1    1     1
2 
    

2 
  '  


    
2      ''
2 
   1     1    1     1
2      2   '  
   
Alternate Form
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 A. Plane Wave in Lossy Dielectric
 The general solution of plane wave for a lossy medium can be
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

written as
Esx  E  e z  E  ez 
H sy  H  e z  H  ez 
    E0
If E  E  E0 , H  H  H 0 Then H 0 

j j
      e   Intrinsic impedance in Ohms
  j 

 
  ; tan2 
   2  4
1

1    
    
9
 A. Plane Wave in Lossy Dielectric
 The solution for magnetic field can now be written as
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

e z cost   z    0    450

E0
H

 Which shows that magnetic field lags electric field by an angle  due
to the intrinsic impedance of the medium
Jc E 
 
Jd jE 
 This ratio of the magnitude of conduction to displacement current
density is referred as Loss Tangent

tan  

And   2
10
 A. Plane Wave in Lossy Dielectric
 From the Maxwell’s phasor equation
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

 j 
  H s    j Es  j 1  E
 s  j  ~E


s
 

  
~
   1  j    1  j tan   
   

Loss Tangent

  
Where ~
   1  j    ' j ' '  '   &  ' '   
  
is the complex permittivity of the medium and loss tangent
  ''
tan   
  '
11
 B. Plane Wave in Lossless Dielectric
 For a lossless dielectric
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves


 1

The necessary conditions are   0,    0 r ,    0  r

We then have  0    





Both E & H fields are in phase

12
 C. Plane Wave in Free Space
 For free space
03/11/2016, Jagadish C. Mudiganti
Plane Waves

The necessary conditions are   0,    0 ,    0

 0     0 0
 1
Where v p    c is the speed of light
  0 0

0
  120  377 Is the intrinsic impedance of
0 free space

13
 C. Plane Wave in Good Conductors

 For a good conductor  1
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Plane Waves


The necessary conditions are   ,    0 ,    0  r

From which we have      f
2
 2 
vp    450
  
Therefore E leads H by 450

 The distance through which the wave amplitude reduces to e-1 or 37 %

of its original values is called skin depth or penetration depth
1 1 2
s   
14  f 