Electromagnetic theory of light

It is instructive to pursue the interpretation of the calcite rhomb experiment beyond the simple Huyghenian construction to learn something about the polarization of the transmitted light. The electromagnetic theory of light requires that the electric vector shall be contained in the plane of the wave front. The ordinary disturbances vibrate perpendicular to a principal section. Also the extraordinary disturbance must vibrate in the principal section plane. 

When the examination was over and the report submitted, a new tumult was raised. Kelvin opposed the theory in general. He could -understand nothing, he said, which could not be translated into a mechanical model. For this reason he had likewise rejected Maxwell s electromagnetic theory of light. Only the Dane submitted an enthusiastic judgment of the... 

Hertz, H. 1857-1922 Experimental verification of the electromagnetic theory of light Mason (1961)... 

The electromagnetic theory of light due to Maxwell (nineteenth century)... 

Without going beyond thermodynamics and the electromagnetic theory of light, we can deduce two laws regarding the way in which black body radiation (or, as it is also called, cavity radiation) depends on the temperature. Stefan s law (1879) states that the total emitted radiation is proportional to the fourth power of the temperature of the radiator the hotter the body, the more it radiates. Proceeding a step further, W. Wien found the displacement law (1893) which bears his name, and which states that the spectral distribution of the energy density is given by an equation of the form... 

Gibbs, J.W. Dynamics, vector analysis and multiple algebra, electromagnetic theory of light, etc. In The Collected Works, vol. 2. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT (1948 [reprinted])... 

Powerful as the theory of photons has proved itself, and deeply as the statistical method permits us to penetrate into the nature of radiation, there are aspects of the subject which can only be understood in terms of the electrical theory of matter and of the electromagnetic theory of light. The introduction of the electrical theme cannot be much longer deferred. 

Electrical displacements within atoms and molecules are closely related to the electric and magnetic fields of light waves. The electromagnetic theory of light and the quantum theory both play their part in the interpretation of optical and other properties of various kinds of matter. 

Mie Scattering. Detailed calculations based on the full electromagnetic theory of light are required to explain light scattering by particles of sizes comparable to the wavelength of light. (G. Mie Ann Phys 25,1908, 377). Such... 

In the classical electromagnetic theory of light, light in vacuum consists of transverse electromagnetic waves that obey Maxwell s equations [1,2]... 

Gibbs s research interests evolved from engineering to mechanics, and then to thermodynamics, vector analysis and the electromagnetic theory of light, and statistical mechanics. Since his work in thermodynamics and its applications to physical chemistry is likely most relevant to readers of this volume, that work is the subject of my essay. Section II deals with Gibbs s novel development of thermodynamics and Section HI focuses on his application of that thermodynamic theory to various problems in physical chemistry. Section IV then steps back to consider the overall nature of his project and its relevance to philosophy. 

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