Physics Chat
The electrodynamic responses of spatially dispersive materials
Speaker: Amal Aldhubaib ()
Date: Wednesday 27 November 2024
Time: 14:00
Venue: N/1.32
Electrodynamic responses refer to how materials interact with external stimuli. It serves as the foundation for interpreting most experiments that involve light and particles. Even though this is an old topic, our understanding in regard to materials with strong spatial dispersion (that is, materials of which the dielectric responses are non-local so that polarization can be induced by an electric field at a distance) remains incomplete. Such materials include both metals and semiconductors. The main issue here concerns the interplay between spatial dispersion and physical boundaries. With spatial dispersion, the electromagnetic properties, such as the reflection and transmission coefficients are not straightforward to calculate. Historically, and still prevailing nowadays, the way out has been to impose some Additional Boundary Conditions on the behaviours of the polarization at the boundary. Recently, an alternative theory called the Surface Scattering Approach has been developed, which does not require any additional boundary conditions. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the fundamental principles underlying this theory. Additionally, I will discuss its potential applications and how it compares to existing framework in the field.