13.

Fresnel's Equations for Reflection

and Refraction
Incident, transmitted, and reflected beams

Boundary conditions: tangential fields are continuous

Reflection and
transmission
coefficients

The "Fresnel Equations"

Brewster's Angle

Total internal reflection

Power reflectance
and transmittance Augustin Fresnel
1788-1827
Posing the problem
What happens when light, propagating in a
uniform medium, encounters a smooth interface
which is the boundary of another medium with a
different refractive index?

k-vector of the
incident light
nincident boundary

ntransmitted

This is really two problems, not just one.

Definitions: Planes of Incidence, the
interface and “S” and “P” polarizations
“S” polarization is the perpendicular polarization, and it sticks up
out of the plane of incidence

I R y
Plane of incidence (z=0)
is the plane that
z x
contains the incident
and reflected k-vectors.
T Plane of the interface (y=0, the xz
plane) (perpendicular to screen)

“P” polarization is the parallel polarization, and it lies parallel

to the plane of incidence.
Fresnel Equations
We would like to compute the fraction of a light wave reflected and
transmitted by a flat interface between two media with different refrac-
tive indices. Fresnel was the first to do this calculation (early 1800’s).

We treat the case of S polarization first:

ki kr
Ei Er ni y
Bi θi θr Br
Interface z x
Beam geometry for
light with its electric
field sticking up out of
θt the xz plane (y = 0)
the plane of incidence
Et nt
(i.e., out of the page)

Bt kt
Boundary Condition for the Electric
y
Field at an Interface: s polarization
The Tangential Electric Field is Continuous z x

In other words,



ki kr
The total E-field in Er
the plane of the Ei ni
interface is Bi θi θr Br
continuous.
Interface
Here, all E-fields are θt
Et nt
in the z-direction,

which is in the plane Bt kt
of the interface.

(We’re not explicitly writing

So: Ei(y = 0) + Er(y = 0) = Et(y = 0) the x, z, and t dependence,
but it is still there.)
Boundary Condition for the Magnetic y
Field at an Interface: s polarization
z x
The Tangential Magnetic Field* is Continuous
In other words,


ki kr
Ei Er ni
The total B-field in the
θi
plane of the interface is Bi θi θi θr Br
continuous.
Interface
Here, all B-fields are in θt
Et nt
the xy-plane, so we take

the x-components: Bt kt

–Bi(y = 0) cosθi + Br(y = 0) cosθr = –Bt(y = 0) cosθt

*It's really the tangential B/µ, but we're using µi = µt = µ0

Reflection and Transmission for
Perpendicularly Polarized Light
Ignoring the rapidly varying parts of the light wave and keeping
only the complex amplitudes:
E0i + E0 r = E0t
− B0i cos(θi ) + B0 r cos(θ r ) = − B0t cos(θt )

But B = E /(c0 / n) = nE / c0 and θi = θ r .

Substituting into the second equation:
ni ( E0 r − E0i ) cos(θi ) = − nt E0t cos(θt )

Substituting for E0t using E0i + E0 r = E0t :

ni ( E0 r − E0i ) cos(θi ) = −nt ( E0 r + E0i ) cos(θt )

Reflection & Transmission Coefficients
for Perpendicularly Polarized Light
Rearranging ni ( E0 r − E0i ) cos(θi ) = −nt ( E0 r + E0i ) cos(θt ) yields:
E0 r [ ni cos(θi ) + nt cos(θt ) ] = E0i [ ni cos(θi ) − nt cos(θ t ) ]

Solving for E0 r / E0i yields the reflection coefficient :

r⊥ = E0 r / E0i = [ ni cos(θ i ) − nt cos(θ t ) ] / [ ni cos(θ i ) + nt cos(θ t ) ]

Analogously, the transmission coefficient, E0t / E0i , is

t⊥ = E0t / E0i = 2ni cos(θ i ) / [ ni cos(θ i ) + nt cos(θ t ) ]

These equations are called the Fresnel Equations for

perpendicularly polarized (s-polarized) light.
Fresnel Equations—Parallel electric field
Now, the case of P polarization:


y
ki kr
Ei Br ni x
× z
Bi
θi θr Er
Note that Hecht
Interface uses a different
notation for the
Beam geometry reflected field,
for light with its
electric field
θt which is confusing!
Et nt Ours is better!
parallel to the
plane of incidence Bt
This leads to a
(i.e., in the page) kt difference in the
signs of some
equations...

Note that
the
reflected

magnetic field must point into the screen to
achieve E × B ∝ k for the reflected wave. The x with a circle
around it means “into the screen.”
Reflection & Transmission Coefficients
for Parallel Polarized Light
For parallel polarized light, B0i − B0r = B0t

and E0icos(θi) + E0rcos(θr) = E0tcos(θt)

Solving for E0r / E0i yields the reflection coefficient, r||:

r|| = E0 r / E0i = [ ni cos(θt ) − nt cos(θi ) ] / [ ni cos(θt ) + nt cos(θi ) ]

Analogously, the transmission coefficient, t|| = E0t / E0i, is

t|| = E0t / E0i = 2ni cos(θi ) / [ ni cos(θt ) + nt cos(θi ) ]

These equations are called the Fresnel Equations for

parallel polarized (p-polarized) light.
To summarize…
plan plan
e of in e of in
cide cide
incident nce incident nce
wave wave
interface interface

E-field vectors are red.

k vectors are black.

transmitted wave transmitted wave

s-polarized light: p-polarized light:

ni cos(θi ) − nt cos(θt ) ni cos(θt ) − nt cos(θi )
r⊥ = r|| =
ni cos(θi ) + nt cos(θt ) ni cos(θt ) + nt cos(θi )
2ni cos(θi ) 2ni cos(θi )
t⊥ = t|| =
ni cos(θi ) + nt cos(θt ) ni cos(θt ) + nt cos(θi )

And, for both polarizations: ni sin(θi ) = nt sin(θt )

 Reflection Coefficients for an
Air-to-Glass Interface
The two polarizations are
indistinguishable at θ = 0°
1.0
nair ≈ 1 < nglass ≈ 1.5
Total reflection at θ = 90°

Reflection coefficient, r
for both polarizations.
Brewster’s angle
.5
Zero reflection for parallel r||=0! r||
polarization at 56.3°
“Brewster's angle”
0
The value of this angle
depends on the value of
the ratio ni/nt:
θBrewster = tan-1(nt/ni) -.5 r┴

Sir David Brewster -1.0

1781 - 1868 0° 30° 60° 90°
Incidence angle, θi
 Reflection Coefficients for a
Glass-to-Air Interface
nglass > nair
1.0
Critical
angle

Reflection coefficient, r
Total internal reflection
above the "critical angle" .5 r┴
Total internal
reflection
θcrit ≡ sin-1(nt /ni) 0
≈ 41.8° for glass-to-air
Brewster’s
angle
(The sine in Snell's Law -.5
can't be greater than one!) Critical r||
angle
-1.0
0° 30° 60° 90°
Incidence angle, θi
Reflectance (R)  ε 0 c0 
I = n
2
E
 0
 2 
I r Ar
R ≡ Reflected Power / Incident Power = A = Area
I i Ai

wi θi θr
ni wi
nt

Because the angle of incidence = the angle of reflection,

the beam area doesn’t change on reflection.

Also, n is the same for both incident and reflected beams.

2
E0 r
So: R = r2 since 2
= r2
E0i
  ε 0 c0 
I = n
2
Transmittance (T)  2 
E
 0
I t At
T ≡ Transmitted Power / Incident Power = A = Area
I i Ai
θi
If the beam wi
ni At wt cos(θt )
has width wi: = =
nt
wt Ai wi cos(θi )
θt

The beam expands (or contracts) in one dimension on refraction.

 ε 0 c0  2

I t At  nt  E0t
  n E
2
wt nt wt 2 E0t
2
2  wt
T= =   = t 0t
= t since = t2
I i Ai  ε 0 c0  2
2
 wi  ni E0i wi ni wi E0i
2

 i
n  0i
E
 2 

 ( nt cos (θt ) )  2
⇒ T = t
 ( ni cos (θi ) ) 
Reflectance and Transmittance for an
Air-to-Glass Interface

Perpendicular polarization Parallel polarization

1.0 1.0
T T
Brewster’s
.5 .5
angle

R R
0 0
0° 30° 60° 90° 0° 30° 60° 90°
Incidence angle, θi Incidence angle, θi

Note that it is NOT true that: r + t = 1.

But, it is ALWAYS true that: R + T = 1

Reflectance and Transmittance for a
Glass-to-Air Interface

Perpendicular polarization Parallel polarization

1.0 1.0
T T
.5 .5

R R
0 0
0° 30° 60° 90° 0° 30° 60° 90°
Incidence angle, θi Incidence angle, θi

Note that the critical angle is the same for both polarizations.
And still, R+T =1
 Reflection at normal incidence, θi = 0
2
When θi = 0, the Fresnel  nt − ni  4 nt ni
equations reduce to: R =   T =
 nt + ni  ( nt + ni )
2

For an air-glass interface (ni = 1 and nt = 1.5),

R = 4% and T = 96%

The values are the same, whichever

direction the light travels, from air to
glass or from glass to air.

This 4% value has big implications

for photography.

“lens flare”
Where you’ve seen Fresnel’s Equations in action
Windows look like mirrors at night (when you’re in the brightly lit room)

One-way mirrors (used by police to interrogate bad guys) are just

partial reflectors (actually, with a very thin aluminum coating).

Disneyland puts ghouls next to you in the haunted house using partial
reflectors (also aluminum-coated).

Optical fibers use total internal reflection.

Lasers use Brewster’s angle components to avoid reflective losses:

R = 100% 0% reflection!
Laser medium R = 90%

0% reflection!