Localized Beams and Dielectric Barriers

TL;DR

This paper explores the analogy between electromagnetic wave behavior in stratified media and quantum particles in potential wells, revealing how resonance phenomena diminish in the particle limit, leading to a zebra-like intensity pattern.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of the particle limit in stratified media and analyzes the resulting stationary intensity pattern, extending the analogy with quantum mechanics.

Findings

Resonance phenomena are absent in the particle limit.

The intensity pattern becomes stationary and zebra-like.

Individual reflection and transmission do not overlap in this limit.

Abstract

Recalling the similarities between the Maxwell equations for a transverse electric wave in a stratified medium and the quantum mechanical Schroedinger equation in a piece-wise potential, we investigate the analog of the so called particle limit in quantum mechanics. It is shown that in this limit the resonance phenomena are lost since individual reflection and transmission terms no longer overlap. The result is a stationary zebra-like response with the intensity in each stripe calculable.