TRANSVERSE WAVES
We are already familiar with the way in which light energy travels from a source to arrive essentially at some other point which it illuminates. What is happening in the region through which the light is passing? If it were possible to stop such a light wave and take measurements along its path, we would detect two influences— a fluctuating electric field at right angles to the direction of the beam and a fluctuating magnetic field at right angles both to the beam and the electric field (Fig. 1.12).
The electric field (E) and the magnetic field (H) have the same wavelength and they keep in phase. The energy of light is stored in these two fluctuating fields, the pattern of which is preserved as it travels along. In fact, electromagnetic ...
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