Refraction of EM Waves
- When EM waves interact with matter, they might move from one medium to another
- Sometimes EM waves will undergo refraction
- This happens due to the difference in velocity of the waves in different substances
- Although all electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed in a vacuum, when they encounter certain materials (such as water, glass or oil) they will slow down
- How much they slow down depends on the material
- This slowing of electromagnetic waves causes them to refract
- A simple example of this is the refraction of visible light when it enters (or leaves) a glass block, although other electromagnetic waves can also refract
When electromagnetic waves pass through matter, their interactions slow them down causing them to refract. The red lines are the rays and black lines are the normals