2023 Fall Optics (I) Homework #2, Due 10/26

1. (15 pts) [The rainbow] Rainbows are formed when sunlight is

backscattered from spherical raindrops through one internal reflection.
The deviation angle between the incident and backscattered rays is d
(d is defined as positive). Show that the minimum deviation angle is
137.5 if n of water is 1.33. [Note: 180− d = 42.5 is the angle that
we observe rainbow in the sky. There is no scattered light at angles
larger than 42.5 and it is called Alexander’s dark band.

2. (15 pts) [Complex index of refraction] Water behaves

as a dielectric material where the electric permittivity
and magnetic permeability are  and . Suppose  = 0
= constant and  = R  iI is a complex number. The
relative electric permittivity R/0 and I/0 are plotted
in the figure as a function of inverse wavelength, -1.
As a convention, the inverse wavelength displayed in
the x-axis uses the wavelength in vacuum, so you can
simply get the frequency by f = /2 = c(-1). An
electromagnetic wave is propagating in y direction in water. Its electric field is proportional
to e . Obviously, k is also a complex number.

(a) At low frequency, R/0 = 81 and I/0 = 0, find the velocity of the EM wave (phase velocity /k).
(b) At -1 = 50 m-1, R/0 = I/0 = 40, find the complex index of refraction, n = nR - inI. By definition,
n εμ/ε μ .
(c) At  = 50 m-1, find the value of the skin depth, the distance over which the intensity of the EM
-1

wave ( E2) drops to 1/e of its initial value.

3. (15 pts) Two parallel coherent laser beams of wavelength  originally have the
same phase. One travels in air and the other travels through a glass with index
of refraction n and thickness t.
(a) Under normal incidence, what is the phase difference between the two beams
when they reach a plate perpendicular to the propagation direction?
(b) If the glass is tilted at an angle , what is the phase difference between the
two beams at the plate? You should refer to figure (c) and use Snell’s Law. (If it
is still too difficult for you, you can assume  << 1 and use cos(x)~1-x2/2 to get
approximate solution, but you only get partial credit.)

4. (15 pts) Hecht 4.59 and 4.60 Use Fresnel equation and Taylor’s expansion to show that near-normal
incidence, the amplitude coefficients of reflection become approximately: