Electromagnetic Waves & Optics: Lecture Notes

Notes from some random guy named Jacob that texts Lowa
download to the original pdf
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/825759486936481856/1101510286374088795/EWO_LNotes_merged.pdf

(pg 1) Preface.


The objective of the course is to provide an account of the study of optics taking up the
subject from where the study of electric and magnetic fields finished with the elucidation of
the Maxwell equations and developing these into a wave description of light. Some basics of
the properties of electromagnetic waves will be studied allowing an exploration of physical
optics.


As with any subject, it is necessary to begin by developing a language with which to discuss
the subject matter. In this case it is electromagnetic waves that are the subject of interest
and electromagnetic waves have several properties of interest in common with other waves;
sound, water, quantum mechanical etc. For the purposes of this study these include at the
top of the list the wave amplitude and phase.


The module outline eschews traditional development of the subject by beginning with
physical optics before going on to geometric optics in keeping with its emphasis on the
electromagnetic wave nature of light. The development of the module will proceed as follows;

(pg 2) Maxwells Equations & the Wave Equation (draft)

Maxwell’s equations in free space.
The starting point of this course is where the first year electromagnetism course ended,
namely with the four Maxwell’s equations and the electromagnetic wave equation. A review
of these equations is therefore a good place to start.

Beginning with the simplest situation of Maxwell’s equations in a vacuum (no charges or
currents ). There are a set of four equations, established by Maxwell, that relate the magnetic
fields and the electric fields. These equations may be written in differential form as:

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