Physics 2102

Gabriela
González

A solution to Maxwell’s equations in free space:

ω
= c,
k
speed of propagation.

Visible light, infrared, ultraviolet,

radio waves, X rays, Gamma
http://phys23p.sl.psu.edu/CWIS/ rays are all electromagnetic waves.

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Electromagnetic waves are able to transport energy from transmitter
to receiver (example: from the Sun to our skin).

The power transported by the wave and its

direction is quantified by the Poynting vector. John Henry Poynting (1852-1914)

For a wave, since

E is perpendicular to B:
Units: Watt/m2 In a wave, the fields
change with time.
Therefore the Poynting
E vector changes too!!The
direction is constant, but
the magnitude changes
S from 0 to a maximum
B value.

A better measure of the amount of energy in an EM wave is

obtained by averaging the Poynting vector over one wave cycle.
The resulting quantity is called intensity.

The average of sin2 over

one cycle is ½:

or,

Both fields have the

same energy density.

The total EM energy density is then

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 The light from the sun has an intensity of about 1kW/m2. What would be the total
power incident on a roof of dimensions 8x20m?

I=1kW/m2 is power per unit area.

P=IA=(103 W/m2) x 8m x 20m=0.16 MW!!

The solar panel shown (Sunpower E19) is

61in x 41in.
The actual solar panel delivers ~6A at 50V.
What is its efficiency?

http://us.sunpowercorp.com/homes/products-services/solar-panels/

The intensity of a wave is power per unit area. If one

has a source that emits isotropically (equally in all
directions) the power emitted by the source pierces a
larger and larger sphere as the wave travels outwards.

So the power per unit

area decreases as the
inverse of distance
squared.

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A radio station transmits a 10 kW signal at a frequency of 100
MHz. (We will assume it radiates as a point source). At a distance
of 1km from the antenna, find (a) the amplitude of the electric and
magnetic field strengths, and (b) the energy incident normally on a
square plate of side 10cm in 5min.

Received
energy:

Waves not only carry energy but also momentum. The effect is
very small (we don’t ordinarily feel pressure from light). If light
is completely absorbed during an interval Δt, the momentum
transferred is given by and twice as much if reflected.

Newton’s law: A

Now, supposing one has a wave that hits a surface

I
of area A (perpendicularly), the amount of energy
transferred to that surface in time Δt will be

therefore

Radiation
pressure:

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Solar mills?

Not radiation pressure!! Comet tails

Solar sails? Sun radiation: I= 1 KW/m2

Area 30m2 => F=IA/c~0.1 mN
Mass m=5 kg => a=F/m~2 10-5 m/s2
When does it reach 10mph=4.4 m/s?
V=at => t=V/a~2 105 s=2.3 days
From the Planetary Society

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 Radio transmitter:
If the dipole antenna
is vertical, so will be
the electric fields. The
magnetic field will be
horizontal.
The radio wave generated is said to be “polarized”.

In general light sources produce “unpolarized

waves”emitted by atomic motions in random directions.

Completely unpolarized light will have

equal components in horizontal and vertical
directions. Therefore running the light through
a polarizer will cut the intensity in half: I=I0/2

When polarized light hits a polarizing sheet,

only the component of the field aligned with the
sheet will get through.

And therefore:
Light reflected from surfaces is usually polarized
horizontally.
Polarized sunglasses take advantage of this: they are vertical
polarizing sheets, so that they cut the horizontally polarized
light from glare (reflections on roads, cars, etc).

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Initially unpolarized light of
intensity I0 is sent into a system
of three polarizers as shown.
What fraction of the initial
intensity emerges from the
system? What is the
polarization of the exiting
light?

• Through the first polarizer: unpolarized to polarized, so I1=½I0.

•  Into the second polarizer, the light is now vertically polarized. Then, I2=I1cos260ο = 1/4 I1
=1/8 I0.
• Now the light is again polarized, but at 60o. The last polarizer is horizontal, so I3=I2cos230ο
=3/4 Ι2=3/32 I0=0.094 I0.
•  The exiting light is horizontally polarized, and has 9% of the original amplitude.

When light finds a surface separating two media (air and water, for
example), a beam gets reflected and another gets refracted
(transmitted).

Law of reflection: the angle of incidence θ1

equals the angle of reflection θ’1.

Law of refraction: Snell’s law.

n is the index of refraction of the medium.

In vacuum, n=1. In air, n~1. In all other media, n>1.

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Water has n=1.33. How much does a beam incident at 45o refracts?

n2 sin θ2= n1 sin θ1

sin θ2= (n1 /n2) sin θ1

=(1/1.33) sin 45o
=0.0098
θ2= 32o Actual light ray

Image of the object Light ray the brain

Actual object imagines (as if in air)

The index of refraction

decreases with temperature:
the light gets refracted and
ends up bending upwards.

We seem to see water on the

road, but in fact we are
looking at the sky!

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The index of refraction depends on the wavelength (color) of the light.

Prisms

Rainbows: water
drops act as
reflecting prisms.

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From glass to air, the law of refraction uses n2<n1, so θ2>θ1: it may
reach 90o or more: the ray is “reflected” instead of “refracted”.

θ2 n2~1
n2 sin θ2= n1 sin θ1
θ1

n1

For glass (fused quartz) n=1.46,

and the critical angle is 43o:
optical fibers!

Different polarization of light get

reflected and refracted with
different amplitudes
(“birefringence”).

At one particular angle, the parallel

polarization is NOT reflected at all!

This is the “Brewster angle” θB, and

θB+ θr=90o.

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Optical hardware

www.optosigma.com

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