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The evanescent field in total internal reflection oscillates and advances in wave phase along the boundary while its wave amplitude decays away from it. With the coordinates above and time dependence $e^{-i\omega t}$, a TE polarization has complex amplitudeThe physical electric field is $\mathrm{Re}[\mathbf{E}(x,z)e^{-i\omega t}]$. The decaying sign excludes a field that grows without bound at $z\to \infty$. Dielectric-interface boundary conditions determine $A$; for nongrazing incidence it is generally nonzero.^[ref]

Zero normal energy flux follows directly from Maxwell equations. The wavevector is $(q,0,i\kappa )$; the relation $\mathbf{H}=(\mathbf{k}\times \mathbf{E})/(\omega {\mu }_0)$ givesConsequently, the cycle-averaged Poynting vector isThe electric field and $H_x$ are a quarter-cycle apart, so their product has zero cycle average. Tangential energy flux survives. This is a local calculation for the single decaying evanescent wave in the infinite second half-space.

To check reflected power independently, put $a=n_1{k}_0\cos \theta >0$. The existing transverse-electric Fresnel reflection coefficient becomes $r=(a-i\kappa )/(a+i\kappa )$. Its numerator and denominator are complex conjugates, so $|r{|}^2=1$, while $1+r=2a/(a+i\kappa )\ne 0$ supplies the surface electric field relative to the incident wave amplitude. Thus a unit optical reflectance does not require a zero transmitted field. The same normal power balance holds for TM polarization; its reflected wave phase generally differs from the TE polarization phase. A mixture can therefore change its polarization of an electromagnetic wave on reflection even though all normal incident power returns.

Frustrated total internal reflection occurs when a nearby second high-index dielectric couples to the evanescent field in total internal reflection, allowing power to cross a finite low-index gap. The extra boundary changes the dielectric-interface boundary conditions; the gap field need not be a single decaying evanescent wave. Consequently, the zero normal Poynting vector calculation for two infinite half-spaces does not forbid transmission in this three-medium geometry.

Harvard’s actual demonstration uses two right-angle glass prisms, a helium-neon laser, a small clamp and two perpendicular screens as detectors. The contact faces are cleaned and placed opposite each other, with the clamp protecting the corners. Increasing pressure narrows the intervening air film; the observed beam routing changes gradually from total internal reflection toward onward transmission. The broad-gap reflecting configuration supplies the comparison for the narrow-gap transmitting configuration. This is a qualitative readout: the page explicitly says the gap is not measured.^[ref]

The inference is that the lower-index region can mediate electromagnetic energy transfer when another boundary is nearby. The demonstration does not determine a numerical evanescent penetration depth, resolve gap uniformity, or establish a three-layer transmission coefficient. For the constructed $50^{\circ }$ example, $\delta \approx 178\mathrm{nm}$ identifies the scale over which the isolated-interface field remains appreciable; substituting $e^{-2g/\delta }$ for a gap transmission fraction would omit the changed boundary fields and their interference. A quantitative gap calculation must solve the full Maxwell equations with both boundaries.

Work in cylindrical coordinates and use the assumed independence of $\phi$ and $z$. In each material region, the zero curl of the static electric field givesThe tangential electric field is zero at a perfect conductor. The dielectric-interface boundary conditions make its tangential components continuous at each material interface, so $E_z=E_{\phi }=0$ throughout the gap. They also vanish in the empty interior and exterior for the regular solution with no applied external electric field. HenceThis specifies an axis of direction: the sign of $E_{\rho }$ depends on the sign of $V$.

For the static magnetic field, Gauss's law for magnetism impliesThus $\rho B_{\rho }$ is constant in each layer. Continuity of the normal magnetic field across every interface makes that constant global, and regularity at the axis makes it zero. Next use $\nabla \times \mathbf{H}=0$ away from the conducting surfaces. Its $\phi$ component gives $d{H}_z/d\rho =0$. There is no azimuthal surface current density, so $H_z$ is continuous across the conducting surfaces and the material interface. The decay of the exterior magnetic field at infinity therefore forces this global constant to zero. The only remaining component isThe magnetostatic Ampère law fixes its sign: positive inner electric current in the $+z$ direction produces positive $B_{\phi }$ for positive magnetic permeability.

The source-free Maxwell equations in a linear medium areHere the constitutive relations are $\mathbf{D}=\epsilon \mathbf{E}$ and $\mathbf{B}=\mu \mathbf{H}$.

Substitution of the sinusoidal plane waves into the two divergence equations gives the transversality of an electromagnetic plane wave,Faraday's law and the Ampère-Maxwell equation give, respectively,Taking $\mathbf{k}\times$ the first equation and using transversality yieldsThus a nonzero plane electromagnetic wave in a linear medium must satisfyIn particular, ${\mathbf{E}}_0$, ${\mathbf{B}}_0$, and $\mathbf{k}$ are mutually orthogonal, with $|{\mathbf{B}}_0|=\sqrt{\mu \epsilon }|{\mathbf{E}}_0|$.

Take the interface to be $x=0$ and the plane of incidence to be the $xy$-plane. The incident, reflected, and transmitted wavevectors may be writtenThe phase matching at a planar wave interface requires one common angular frequency and one common tangential wavevector:Since $k_{\pm }=\omega \sqrt{{\epsilon }_{\pm }\mu }=n_{\pm }\omega /c$, this gives the Snell law for electromagnetic waves,

For the final polarization, take the signed electric amplitudes along $\hat{\mathbf{z}}$. The dielectric-interface boundary conditions require continuity of tangential $\mathbf{E}$ and $\mathbf{H}$. Sincetheir $z$- and $y$-components giveandEliminating $E_I$ yieldsUsing ${\theta }_R={\theta }_I$ and Snell's law,Therefore the reflected-to-transmitted transverse-electric amplitude ratio iswith the polarization directions chosen so that the displayed signed factor is nonnegative; otherwise its absolute value gives the magnitude ratio.

For a time-independent field, Faraday's law gives $\nabla \times \mathbf{E}=0$. Integrating around a thin rectangular loop crossing $x=0$ and shrinking its height gives continuity of the tangential component:A thin Gaussian pillbox and $\nabla \cdot \mathbf{D}=0$ give continuity of the normal electric displacement field:These are the electrostatic cases of the dielectric-interface boundary conditions.

Let $\hat{n}$ be the unit normal pointing from the minus medium to the plus medium. Integrating the Maxwell equations across an infinitesimal pillbox or loop gives the dielectric-interface boundary conditionsandThus tangential $E$ and $H$ are continuous, as are normal $D$ and $B$.

Because $D=ϵE$, the normal electric field generally jumps according toThe tangential displacement field generally jumps because ${ϵ}_{+}\ne {ϵ}_{-}$. Since the permeability is common, continuity of tangential $H$ is continuity of tangential $B$; together with normal-$B$ continuity, every component of $B$ is continuous. The same common $\mu$ also makes the normal component of $H$ continuous.

Apply Faraday's law to a shrinking rectangular loop crossing the interface. For bounded fields the magnetic-flux term vanishes with its area, giving ${\mathbf{E}}_{t,+}={\mathbf{E}}_{t,-}$. A shrinking Gaussian pillbox similarly gives $D_{n,+}-D_{n,-}={\sigma }_{\mathrm{free}}$. Thus normal $D$ is continuous when no free surface charge is present, even though a bound polarization charge may remain. These are the assumptions needed for the stated dielectric-interface boundary conditions.

Write $ϵ={ϵ}_r{ϵ}_0$, $r_{+}=\sqrt{(x-a{)}^2+y^2+z^2}$ and $r_{-}=\sqrt{(x+a{)}^2+y^2+z^2}$. Use each region's own permittivity in its Coulomb potential:At $x=0$, continuity of potential and normal displacement givesSolving,This permittivity convention for transmitted image charges matters: if the vacuum Coulomb prefactor is used even for ${\varphi }_{-}$, its combined effective source is $2Q/(1+{ϵ}_r)$ instead. The physical potential is the same. The two numbered leaves identify how these sources satisfy the equations in their respective regions.

The real charge feels only the image contribution after removing its own singular self-field. The image at $(-a,0,0)$ is separated from it by $2a$, soFor the bound charge, the outward normal of the dielectric is $+\hat{x}$ and $\mathbf{P}={ϵ}_0({ϵ}_r-1){\mathbf{E}}_{-}$. Differentiating ${\varphi }_{-}$ at $x=0$ gives $E_{-,x}=-a(Q+Q^{\prime })/[4\pi ϵ(a^2+y^2+z^2{)}^{3/2}]$. ThereforeIts integral over the plane is $Q^{\prime \prime }$, consistent with the external image representation. For ${ϵ}_r=1$ both the image force and induced surface charge vanish.