Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 ib Paper 3 17H Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
In vacuum without sources, Maxwell equations are , , and . For , , both divergences remain zero, andThis proves the quarter-turn electromagnetic duality transformation.
A perfect conductor has zero electric field in its bulk. Continuity of tangential electric field therefore gives at its surface. Faraday's law makes a nonzero-frequency magnetic field vanish in that bulk, and continuity of its normal component gives for the wave field. An independently trapped static magnetic flux is not excluded by perfect conductivity alone; the stated condition applies to the oscillating field under consideration.
For amplitudes with dependence , let and suppose . With and , define the transverse-magnetic family of scalar-potential conducting waveguide modes byThe electric divergence is ; the magnetic divergence is zero because the transverse field is a rotated gradient. Direct differentiation gives and , where longitudinal differentiation means multiplication by . Thus all vacuum equations hold, with .
On a wall parallel to , makes both and the boundary-tangential derivative of vanish. It also makes proportional to that tangential derivative, hence zero. This proves the Dirichlet boundary condition supplies both conductor conditions.
For a transverse-electric family, use duality and rescale the potential, or check directly thatsatisfies the same equations. If is the cross-sectional wall tangent, then and . Consequently , a Neumann boundary condition, supplies both wall conditions. Duality exchanges the field constructions, but does not preserve electric-conductor boundary conditions without this new boundary test.