6.007  Electromagnetic Energy - from Motors to Laser

PS9 has been shortened. A new version is posted under `Homework'.

Solutions to the second midterm are in `Materials'.

If you haven't noticed already, the tutorial handout on oblique incidence has been updated.

http://stellar.mit.edu/S/course/6/fa09/6.007/courseMaterial/topics/topic5/studyMaterial/T10_B/T10_B.pdf

are posted. Also, the green laser is 532 nm and the red laser is 650 nm. The cuvettes from tuesday are 1 cm long.

This is to correct the polarization convention I used during exam review.

6.007 is using the IEEE (or human handedness) convention for defining left- and right- circular polarization. In tutorial, I defined polarization vector x+jy as RC (as the vector rotating to the right and propagation out of the board).  This is the physicist's convention (thanks to those who pointed this out). In the IEEE convention, point your thumbs in the direction of propagation (out of the board in this example) and choose the hand that rotates in the direction of rotation. This hand defines the handedness of the circular polarization (LC in this case).

This email corrects the incorrect polarization convention I used in tutorial during exam review.

In tutorial, I used the example of the polarization vector x+jy as right-hand circularly (RC) polarized light, as the wave propagated out of the board rotating to the right (clockwise). This is the physicist's convention. Using the IEEE convention, point your thumbs in the direction of propagation and choose the hand with fingers rotating in the direction of rotation (in this case, LC). Please keep this in mind while looking through your review notes.

- BM