(a) A dielectric medium exhibits a linear response if the electric displacement D(x,t) and magnetizing field H(x,t) are related to the electric and magnetic fields, E(x,t) and B(x,t), as
D=ϵE,B=μH
where ϵ and μ are constants characterising the electric and magnetic polarisability of the material respectively. Write down the Maxwell equations obeyed by the fields D,H,B and E in this medium in the absence of free charges or currents.
(b) Two such media with constants ϵ−and ϵ+(but the same μ ) fill the regions x<0 and x>0 respectively in three-dimensions with Cartesian coordinates (x,y,z).
(i) Starting from Maxwell's equations, derive the appropriate boundary conditions at x=0 for a time-independent electric field E(x).
(ii) Consider a candidate solution of Maxwell's equations describing the reflection and transmission of an incident electromagnetic wave of wave vector kI and angular frequency ωI off the interface at x=0. The electric field is given as,
E(x,t)={∑X=I,RIm[EXexp(ikX⋅x−iωXt)],Im[ETexp(ikT⋅x−iωTt)],x<0x>0
where EI,ER and ET are constant real vectors and Im[z] denotes the imaginary part of a complex number z. Give conditions on the parameters EX,kX,ωX for X=I,R,T, such that the above expression for the electric field E(x,t) solves Maxwell's equations for all x=0, together with an appropriate magnetic field B(x,t) which you should determine.
(iii) We now parametrize the incident wave vector as kI=kI(cos(θI)i^x+sin(θI)i^z), where i^x and i^z are unit vectors in the x - and z-directions respectively, and choose the incident polarisation vector to satisfy EI⋅i^x=0. By imposing appropriate boundary conditions for E(x,t) at x=0, which you may assume to be the same as those for the time-independent case considered above, determine the Cartesian components of the wavevector kT as functions of kI,θI,ϵ+and ϵ−.
(iv) For ϵ+<ϵ−find a critical value θIcr of the angle of incidence θI above which there is no real solution for the wavevector kT. Write down a solution for E(x,t) when θI>θIcr and comment on its form.