Article
Article
Reflection and transmission coefficients
Article By:
Smythe, William R. Formerly, Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.
Last reviewed:August 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.577000
When an electromagnetic wave passes from a medium of permeability μ1 and dielectric constant ε1 to one with values μ2 and ε2, part of the wave is reflected at the boundary and part transmitted. The ratios of the amplitudes in the reflected wave and the transmitted wave to that in the incident wave are called the reflection and transmission coefficients, respectively. For oblique incidence, the reflection and refraction formulas of optics are most convenient, but for normal incidence of plane waves on plane boundaries, such as occur with transmission lines, waveguides, and some free waves, the concept of wave impedance and characteristic impedance is useful.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
