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In vacuum the Maxwell equations areSubstitution of the complex plane electromagnetic wave amplitudes into these equations givesThus the electric field must be transverse to $k$; taking the positive-frequency branch gives $\omega =c|k|$.

For $E_0=E(1,i,0)$, $k=k\hat{z}$, and $\phi =kz-\omega t$, the real fields areThe electric vector rotates with constant magnitude, so this is circular polarization. Its Poynting vector isThe Poynting vector is the electromagnetic energy flux: its direction is the direction of propagation and its magnitude is the power crossing unit area.

In a vacuum with no charge or current, the Maxwell equations areFor the proposed plane electromagnetic wave, $\nabla \cdot B=0$ givesThe Ampère-Maxwell equation givesand substituting this into Faraday's law gives the dispersion relationThus both fields have transverse polarization relative to $k$, and the corresponding real electric field is

For incidence in the positive $x$-direction, choose the incident fieldsThe perfect conductor requires the tangential electric field to vanish at $x=0$. The reflected wave therefore hasThis is normal reflection of an electromagnetic wave from a perfect conductor. The magnetic field in $x\le 0$ isso its tangential value at the surface is

Define the dual tensor byFor metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$ and ${ϵ}^{0123}=+1$, two independent quadratic electromagnetic field invariants areandChanging orientation or the sign convention for $F$ can change the displayed overall signs but not their vanishing.

For a vacuum plane electromagnetic wave with wavevector $\mathbf{k}$,Hencefor every transverse polarization. Both Lorentz scalars therefore vanish.

Substitution of the sinusoidal plane waves into Faraday's law givesThe source-free Ampère-Maxwell equation, with $\mathbf{H}=\mathbf{B}/\mu$ and $D_i={\epsilon }_{ij}{E}_j$, givesEliminating $\mathbf{b}=(\mathbf{k}\times \mathbf{e})/\omega$ yields the wave equation for a plane wave in an anisotropic dielectric:

At the surface of a perfect conductor, the tangential electric field and normal magnetic field vanish. An incident plane electromagnetic wave is therefore accompanied by a reflected wave whose tangential electric field cancels the incident field at the surface.