1

Reection and Transmission of Plane Waves

at Dielectric Interfaces (cp. resp. slide)
Consider TE-case here (TM case similarily)

E
in
=

E
in

e
y
e
j

k
in

r
given; without restriction (

k
in
)
y
= 0
Ansatz: Total eld can be represented as

E
tot
=
_

_

E
in
+

E
r
for x 0

E
tr
for x 0
where

E
r
= r

E
in

e
y
e
j

k
r

r
;

E
tr
= t

E
in

e
y
e
j

k
tr

r
and
|

k
in
| = |

k
r
| =
2

n
1
; |

k
tr
| =
2

n
2
to be determined:
- directions of

k
r
and

k
tr
- relative amplitudes r and t
Note: Maxwells equations are satised in either half-space by this Ansatz
(plane wave or superpos. of plane waves)
Unknowns follow from boundary conditions for the tangential components of

E and

H

E
tan
and

H
tan
are continous
here
E
y
(x = 0
+
, z) = E(x = 0

, z) (i)
H
z
(x = 0
+
, z) = H
z
(x = 0

, z) (ii)
2
consequences of (i) and (ii):
z-dependencies of all individual elds must be the same i.e.
e
j(

k
in
)
z
z
= e
j(

k
r
)
z
z
= e
j(

k
tr
)
z
z
=(

k
in
)
z
= (

k
r
)
z
= (

k
tr
)
z
= :
in other terms, using
(

k )
z
= |

k | cos
2

n
1
cos
in
=
2

n
1
cos
r
=
2

n
1
cos
tr

r
=
in
reection law
n
2
cos
tr
= n
1
cos
in

tr
= arccos
_
n
1
n
2
cos
in
_
_
refraction law
further consequences of (i) and (ii)
_
use

H =

k

E

o
for each plane wave; from Maxwell equations
so that H
z
=

|k|

o
E
y
sin
_
:
1 + r = t (from (i)
n
1
sin(
in
) + n
1
sin (
r
)
..
=
in
r = n
2
sin(
tr
) t (from (ii))
solve the latter 2 equations for r and t:
r =
n
1
sin
in
n
2
sin
tr
n
1
sin
in
+ n
2
sin
tr
t = 1 + r =
2n
1
sin
in
n
1
sin
in
+ n
2
sin
tr
3
can be rewritten by using the refraction law
r =
sin (
in

tr
)
sin (
in
+
tr
)
; t =
2 sin
in
sin (
in
+
tr
)
note: for

in
< arccos
n
2
n
1

tr
becomes complex; anyway, all the formulae remain valid; they yield
|r| = 1
in this case
total internal reection