Maximum longitudinal electric-field component of the evanescent wave excited by incident p-polarized light in total internal reflection at a dielectric–dielectric interface

Abstract

For a given amplitude of the electric field of incident p-polarized light, the longitudinal z component of the electric field of the evanescent wave traveling parallel to the interface in the rarer medium in total internal reflection at a dielectric–dielectric interface reaches a maximum at an angle of incidence given by in which N > 1 is the ratio of refractive indices of the two transparent media. The associated maximum coupling coefficient as a function of N is given by . It is also shown that the Fresnel complex-amplitude interface transmission coefficients of incident p- and s-polarized light have equal absolute values at . Five other significant properties of total internal reflection at this special angle of incidence are also noted.

Keywords:

• total internal reflection
• evanescent wave
• polarization
• physical optics