Propagation of

waves
Friday October 18, 2002

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Propagation of waves in 3D
 Imagine a disturbane that results in waves
propagating equally in all directions
 E.g. sound wave source in air or water, light source
in a dielectric medium etc..
 The generalization of the wave equation to 3-
dimensions is straight forward if the medium is
homogeneous
 Let  = amplitude of disturbance (could be
amplitude of E-field also)

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Propagation of waves in 3D
 depends on x, y and z such that it satisfies the wave equation

 2  2  2 1  2
   2 0
x 2
y 2
x 2
v t 2

1  2

or,  2
2
0
v t 2

where in cartesian co-ordinates,

  
  xˆ  yˆ  zˆ
x y z 3
1. Special Case: Plane Waves along x

 Suppose (x, y, z, t)=(x, t) (depends only

on x)
 Then  = f(kx-ωt) + g(kx+ωt)
 Then for a given position x o,  has the same
value for all y, z at any time to.
 i.e. the disturbance has the same value in the
y-z plane that intersects the x-axis at x o.
 This is a surface of constant phase

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Plane waves along x

kxˆ

Planes perpendicular to the x-axis are wave fronts – by definition

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2. Plane waves along an arbitrary
direction (n) of propagation
 Now  will be z
constant in plane
perpendicular to n – if P
n̂
wave is plane P’
d
 For all points P’ in
plane 
 O r y
r  nˆ  d
x
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2. Plane waves along an arbitrary
direction (n) of propagation
For all points P’ in plane

  f  kd  t 

  f  k  r  nˆ   t 

or, for the disturbance at P

  f  kd  t 

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 2. Plane waves along an arbitrary
direction (n) of propagation
If wave is plane,  must be the
same everywhere in plane  to n z

This plane is defined by

P
n̂

 r  OP   nˆ  0 P’
d
or ,
 
r  nˆ  nˆ  OP  d  const O
r y

is equation of a plane  to n,
a distance d from the origin

x
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2. Plane waves along an arbitrary
direction (n) of propagation

  f  k  r  n   t 
 f   knˆ   r  t 


 
 
 f k  r  t 
is the equation of a plane wave propagating in k-direction
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3. Spherical Waves
 r,t

 Assume has spherical symmetry about
origin (where source is located)
 In spherical polar co-ordinates

1   2   1     1 2
  2  2  sin   2
2
r
r r  r  r sin      r sin 2   2
z

θ r

x φ
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3. Spherical Waves
 Given spherical symmetry,  depends only on r, not φ or θ
 Consequently, the wave equation can be written,

1   2   1   2
r  2 2  0
r r  r  v t
2

or ,
2    1  
2 2
 2  2 2 0
r r r v t 11
3. Spherical Waves
 2  r     
Now note that,    r
r 2
r  r 
  2
2 r 2
r r
 2   2 
 r  2
 r r r 
r  2
 2 2
v t
 2  r  1  2  r 
 2
r 2
v t 2
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3. Spherical Waves
 2  r  1  2  r 
But,
 2 0
r 2
v t 2

is just the wave equation, whose solution is,

r  f  kr  t   g  kr  t 
1
  f  kr  t 
r

i.e. amplitude decreases as 1/ r !!

Wave fronts are spheres
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4. Cylindrical Waves (e.g. line source)
The corresponding expression is,

A
  cos k  t 

for a cylindrical wave traveling along positive 

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Electromagnetic waves
 Consider propagation in a homogeneous
medium (no absorption) characterized by a
dielectric constant

  
o

o = permittivity of free space

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 Electromagnetic waves
Maxwell’s equations are, in a region of no free charges,


  E  4  0 Gauss’ law – electric field
from a charge distribution

B  0 No magnetic monopoles

 B Electromagnetic induction
 E   (time varying magnetic field
t producing an electric field)
 
 E  E Magnetic fields being induced

  B   o  4j     o

t  t
By currents and a time-varying
 electric fields

µo = permeability of free space (medium is diamagnetic) 16

Electromagnetic waves
For the electric field E,

   
   
    E     E   E   E
2 2



  E

 2
   B    o
t t 2

or,

  E 2
 E   o 2  0
2

t
i.e. wave equation with v2 = 1/µo 17
Electromagnetic waves

  B2
Similarly for the magnetic field  B   o 2  0
2

t

i.e. wave equation with v2 = 1/µo

In free space,  =  o = o ( = 1)

1
c c = 3.0 X 108 m/s

 o o
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Electromagnetic waves

In a dielectric medium,  = n2 and  =  o = n 2 o

1 1 c
v  
 o n  o o n

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Electromagnetic waves: Phase relations
The solutions to the wave equations,

 
  E 2   B
2
 E   o
2
0  B   o
2
0
t 2
t 2

can be plane waves,

  i  krt 
E  Eo e
  i  krt  
B  Bo e
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