Orthogonal-Phase-Velocity Propagation of Electromagnetic Plane Waves

TL;DR

This paper explores a unique electromagnetic wave propagation mode where phase velocity and Poynting vector are orthogonal in a moving medium, expanding understanding beyond positive and negative phase velocities.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of orthogonal-phase-velocity propagation in moving media, a novel wave behavior not previously characterized.

Findings

Orthogonal-phase-velocity propagation occurs in moving dielectric-magnetic media.

This mode is distinct from positive and negative phase velocity phenomena.

The study broadens the theoretical framework of electromagnetic wave propagation.

Abstract

In an isotropic, homogeneous, nondissipative, dielectric-magnetic medium that is simply moving with respect to an inertial reference frame, planewave solutions of the Maxwell curl postulates can be such that the phase velocity and the time-averaged Poynting vector are mutually orthogonal. Orthogonal-phase-velocity propagation thus adds to the conventional positive-phase-velocity propagation and the recently discovered negative-phase-velocity propagation that is associated with the phenomenon of negative refraction.