TITLE:
Electrodynamics—Two Versions and One Problem
AUTHORS:
Bernd Hüttner
KEYWORDS:
Left- and Right-Handed Systems, Negative Refractive iNdex, Poynting Vector, Maxwell’s Equations, Metamaterials, Dispersion Relation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Modern Physics,
Vol.5 No.6,
April
28,
2014
ABSTRACT: Based on two versions of Maxwell’s Equations we investigate the Poynting
vector, the energy transport and the dispersion relation both for right- and
left-handed systems. Furthermore, it is shown that the latter systems are
necessarily dispersive in contrast to the former ones. In the end we discuss a
published example where the mixing of expressions of both versions of Maxwell’s
Equations leads to unphysical conclusions. The presentation demonstrates for
students how flexible can be the work with different versions of
electrodynamics but also how carefully one has to be thereby.