Propagation and reflection phases
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/paper-2/section-b/b9/propagation-and-reflection-phases
Past exam of the physics A course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 2 Section B B9 Propagation and reflection phases by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Let the first ray reflect at the upper surface and the second traverse the film, reflect below, and emerge at a laterally displaced point. Its internal round-trip geometric length is , but the external path to a common outgoing wavefront must also be included. The lateral separation is , whose projection along the external ray is . The net optical path difference is thereforeusing Snell's law . Multiplying by the vacuum wavenumber givesFor the usual index ordering , including the stated later value , both reflections are towards higher refractive index and both reverse the electric-field sign. Their relative reflection phase is therefore zero; is also their total relative phase modulo . A different index ordering or polarization-dependent reflection phase would require that additional term.
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