Re: Total Internal Reflection

[Wolfgang Rueckner <rueckner@FAS.HARVARD.EDU>]

I would highly recommend the Sept 1968 issue of Scientific American.
The theme of the issue is light.  In particular, Victor Weisskopf's
article "How Light Interacts with Matter," pp 60-71 addresses your
question from a Huygen's wavelet point-of-view.  Wolfgang


> A point of curiosity, if you can help.
>
> A wave is traveling from a slow to a faster material. At the critical
> angle the wave is totally reflected. I know the math. I know the argument
> that the exiting wave has a limited finite speed and can play Huygens'
> principle to get all the way to the critical angle. One would think a HS
> teacher should be happy. We know it happens and we can solve problems
> about it happening but I cannot answer the very curious student (me
> included) who wants a deeper understanding, a mechanism for this
> happening. My assortment of texts did not do it for me. Can any of you?
>
> Actually, I am not sure I can adequately explain why reflection works the
> way it does in general.
>
> Happy Friday!
>
> Ken Fox