Calculating Average Power Density of a Uniform Plane Wave

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the average power density of a uniform plane electromagnetic wave interacting with a crystal plate. The problem involves understanding the relationship between electric and magnetic fields in the context of electromagnetic waves and the application of the Poynting vector.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between electric and magnetic fields in electromagnetic waves, questioning specific steps in deriving expressions related to power density and field magnitudes. There is discussion on the implications of averaging and the presence of factors in the equations.

Discussion Status

The conversation is ongoing, with participants providing insights into the relationships defined by Maxwell's equations and discussing the implications of these relationships on the calculations. Some participants express confusion about specific equalities and the averaging process, indicating a productive exploration of the topic.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the assumption that the fields are in a medium, which influences the relationships being discussed. There is also mention of a potential factor of 1/2 in the averaging process that remains unresolved.

cathode-ray
Messages
50
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


A plane monocromatic electromagnetic wave propagates in the air hitting a cristal plate with an incident angle of 60 degrees. The cristal plate has an area A=0.5m^{2}, and is fully illuminated by the wave. The average power density carried by the wave is I=10^{-4}\sqrt{\frac{\varepsilon_{0}}{\mu_{0}}}W.m^{-2} and his electric field is given by:

\overrightarrow{E}=E_{x}\overrightarrow{u}_{x}+E_{z}\overrightarrow{u}_{z}
E_{x}=E_{0}cos(\omega t-ky)
E_{z}=E_{0}sen(\omega t-ky)

c)Calculate E_{0}

Homework Equations



I=\left\langle \overrightarrow{S}\right\rangle S is the Poynting vector
\overrightarrow{H}=\frac{\overrightarrow{B}}{\mu_{0}}
v=\frac{E}{B}

The Attempt at a Solution


This problem came with a solution but I don't understand one of the steps:

I=\left\langle \overrightarrow{S}\right\rangle =\left\langle \overrightarrow{E}\times\overrightarrow{H}\right\rangle =\left\langle \overrightarrow{E}\times\frac{\overrightarrow{B}}{\mu_{0}}\right\rangle =\frac{E_{0}^{2}}{v}

How is \left\langle \overrightarrow{E}\times\frac{\overrightarrow{B}}{\mu_{0}}\right\rangle =\frac{E_{0}^{2}}{v} ?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Hello cathode ray

The E and B fields in an EM wave are related as |\vec B| = \frac{|\vec E|}{c}
This relation is a consequance of Maxwell's curl E equation.
You could check Griffiths sec.9.2.2.
 
Hi!
Sorry for the time I took to answer.
I use that relation to get:

\left\langle \overrightarrow{E}\times\frac{\overrightarrow{B}}{\mu_{0}}\right\rangle \Rightarrow\left\langle \frac{|\overrightarrow{E}|^{2}}{c\mu_{0}}\right\rangle

But I still get stuck. Why is \left\langle \frac{|\overrightarrow{E}|^{2}}{c\mu_{0}}\right\rangle =\frac{E_{0}^{2}}{v}? And shouldn't we get a factor of 1/2 in the final expression because of the average?
 
Hey,

The field are being considered in a medium.
So |\vec B| = \frac{k}{\omega}|\vec E| = \frac{|\vec E|}{v}.
 
Then in that case we get:

\left\langle \frac{|\overrightarrow{E}|^{2}}{v\mu_{0}}\right\rangle

Sorry, but I still don't understand the equality:

\left\langle \frac{E_{o}^{2}}{v\mu_{0}}\right\rangle =\frac{E_{0}^{2}}{v}
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
9K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
10K