Lecture XI: Electromagnetic Waves in Dispersive Medium

Saumen Acharjee
Department of Physics, Dibrugarh University

Lecture Notes on Electrodynamics

 Outline

• Highlights
• Classical Model for Frequency Dependence of Permittivity
• EM Wave equation in Dispersive Matter.
• Solution of EM Wave equation for Dispersive Media.
• Assignments
Highlights:
 A dispersive medium is a medium in which waves of different frequencies travel at
different speed. This occurs mainly because the refractive index of a material is
dependent on the frequency of electromagnetic radiation.

 All of the parameters we have been working with i,e,. σ, µ, and 𝜀 are generally
frequency-dependent. The one that is usually most obvious is the frequency
dependence of the dielectric constant. For example, how a prism works to disperse
𝜀
optical light, via the frequency dependence of 𝜀 and thus of n ≈ . This dependence of
𝜀0
the speed of light on frequency is called dispersion.

 This lecture is on EM Waves in dispersive medium. We will discuss the solution of the
EM Wave in dispersive medium and different aspects of its solutions.
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Assignment:

• Calculate the reflection and transmission coefficients of an EM wave propagating

in a dispersive medium. What type of dispersion you observe in this media?
Explain your answer.

• Next lecture will be a continued lecture on Electromagnetic Waves in

dispersive medium.

• For any queries please feel free to write me on the classroom.