Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Simulation, Fabrication and Characterization of THz Metamaterial Absorbers
Published on: December 27, 2012
Form and structure factors for impedance and reflection from periodic layers
1Yale Univeristy, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8284, USA. janet.pan@yale.edu
Abstract:
In an exact treatment of the Maxwell equations, we derive form and structure factors for reflection from periodic layers, and we show that these factors are significantly different from their analogs in kinematic x-ray diffraction. Quite generally, we show that reflection and impedance can be written precisely as the sum of an additive form factor and the product of a structure factor and a second form factor. This additive form factor does not have an analog in kinematic x-ray diffraction. It is demonstrated that the form factors are found by analytic continuation to an arbitrary wavelength of expressions for the impedance both at long wavelengths and at quarter wavelengths. A correction to the Bragg law relating fringe spacing to the total structure thickness is derived. We go beyond previous numerical work by deriving simple analytic exact expressions for reflection and impedance of periodic layers for all frequencies within the reflection passband, and for an arbitrary number of periods in the structure, an arbitrary index profile within each period, arbitrary layer thicknesses (not just quarter-wave layers), and for arbitrary sizes of the refractive index differences.
More Related Videos
09:43Interfacial Molecular-level Structures of Polymers and Biomacromolecules Revealed via Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy
Published on: August 13, 2019
10:35Using Microwave and Macroscopic Samples of Dielectric Solids to Study the Photonic Properties of Disordered Photonic Bandgap Materials
Published on: September 26, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Bewley Lattice Diagram
Traveling Waves: Lossless Lines
Reflection of Waves
Interference and Diffraction
Standing Waves in a Cavity
Boundary Conditions: Lossless Lines
At the receiving end, the boundary condition states that the voltage equals the product of the receiving-end impedance and current. This relationship is expressed as a function of the incident and...