Module 1 : Introduction
Lecture 1 : Introduction
                                                        Spherical and plane wave fronts
   

Light is an Electromagnetic wave.

   

It consists wave fronts. The lines normal to the wave fronts are called the light rays.

   

If the phase fronts are concentric spheres, the light is called a spherical wave, and if the phase fronts are parallel planes, the light is called a plane wave.

   

For a plane waves the rays are parallel whereas for the spherical wave, the emerge from the center of the spheres.

   
If the source is a a finite distance, the appropriate model is the spherical wave model, and if the source is assumed to be at infinite distance, the plane wave model is appropriate.
   
A plane wave can be represented by a wave function which is a composite function of space and time
Wave Function
    :   Amplitude of the wave
   :   Angular frequency of the wave (rad/s)
   :   Phase constant (rad/m)
     :  Distance
     :  Time