I think you first need to know the shape and position the wavefront before the secondary sources can be drawn. This probably means waiting until the beam emerges from the volume.RUber said:As far as I understand, Huygen's principle is outward looking. So the benefit is that you don't need to know anything about inside the volume, just the fields at the boundary.
Huygens principle is a fundamental principle in wave theory that explains how waves propagate through a medium. It states that every point on a wavefront can be considered as a source of secondary spherical wavelets, which combine to produce the overall wave pattern.
At the boundary of a volume, Huygens principle states that the secondary wavelets from each point on the incident wavefront will continue to propagate into the new medium and combine with the secondary wavelets from the other points on the wavefront. This produces a new wavefront that is tangent to the original wavefront, resulting in the bending of the wave.
Yes, Huygens principle can be applied to all types of waves, including electromagnetic waves, sound waves, and water waves. It is a fundamental principle in wave theory and is widely used in the study of wave propagation.
Huygens principle provides a simple and intuitive explanation of how waves propagate through a medium. It allows us to predict the direction and shape of a wave after it passes through a boundary, making it an essential tool in understanding wave behavior.
Huygens principle is a simplified model that does not take into account factors such as diffraction, reflection, and refraction. It also assumes that the medium is homogeneous and isotropic, which may not always be the case. Therefore, while it provides a good approximation of wave behavior, it has its limitations.