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For electromagnetic waves in vacuum, the angular frequency is proportional to the wavenumber: =. This is a linear dispersion relation, in which case the waves are said to be non-dispersive. [1] That is, the phase velocity and the group velocity are the same:
The presence of the sign in the Appleton–Hartree equation gives two separate solutions for the refractive index. [6] For propagation perpendicular to the magnetic field, i.e., , the '+' sign represents the "ordinary mode," and the '−' sign represents the "extraordinary mode."
Continuous charge distribution. The volume charge density ρ is the amount of charge per unit volume (cube), surface charge density σ is amount per unit surface area (circle) with outward unit normal nĚ‚, d is the dipole moment between two point charges, the volume density of these is the polarization density P.
The electromagnetic wave equation is a second-order partial differential equation that describes the propagation of electromagnetic waves through a medium or in a vacuum. It is a three-dimensional form of the wave equation .
It equals the spatial frequency. For example, a wavenumber in inverse centimeters can be converted to a frequency expressed in the unit gigahertz by multiplying by 29.979 2458 cm/ns (the speed of light, in centimeters per nanosecond); [5] conversely, an electromagnetic wave at 29.9792458 GHz has a wavelength of 1 cm in free space.
In an unmagnetized plasma, waves above the plasma frequency propagate through the plasma according to the dispersion relation: = = + In an unmagnetized plasma for the high frequency or low electron density limit, i.e. for = (/) / or / where ω pe is the plasma frequency, the wave speed is the speed of light in vacuum.
Dispersion. Light waves of all frequencies travel at the same speed of light while matter wave velocity varies strongly with frequency. The relationship between frequency (proportional to energy) and wavenumber or velocity (proportional to momentum) is called a dispersion relation.
Maxwell's equations may be combined to demonstrate how fluctuations in electromagnetic fields (waves) propagate at a constant speed in vacuum, c (299 792 458 m/s [2]). Known as electromagnetic radiation, these waves occur at various wavelengths to produce a spectrum of radiation from radio waves to gamma rays.