Re: metal optics - an ununderstood chapter in optics becomes understandable

From: Repeating Rifle (salmonegg_at_sbcglobal.net)
Date: 10/15/04 

Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 00:57:03 GMT

in article 416ef916_2@news.arcor-ip.de, josefmatz at josefmatz@arcor.de
wrote on 10/14/04 3:13 PM:

> Everybody has concerned with formulas having a complex index of refraction.
> One of the best prooven theories is the incident wave on a homogeneous bulk
> metal. Intensity and polarization of the reflected wave - everything in well
> agreement with the theory. But what is with the energy fluxes within
> the bulk metal ? The books stop here. You get no answer or only qualitative
> answers in the books.
<snip>

There is a widespread misconception that the Poynting vector is a measure of
energy flux. One obvious counterexample is the the charged parallel plate
capacitor in a constant field paralell to the plates.

The Poynting theorem is an expression of the conservation of energy within
an enclosed surface.

Bill