Overview of Light Propagation in Homogeneous, Source-free Media
Light can be described as a waveform propagating through free space (vacuum) or a material medium (such as air or glass). Mathematically, the (real valued) amplitude of one wave component is represented by a scalar wave function u that depends on both space and time:
where
represents position in three dimensional space, and t represents time.
Read more about this topic: Fourier Optics
Famous quotes containing the words light and/or media:
“Almost like a god looking at her terribly out of the everlasting dark, she had felt the eyes of that horse; great glowing, fearsome eyes, arched with a question, and containing a white blade of light like a threat. What was his non-human question, and his uncanny threat? She didnt know. He was some splendid demon, and she must worship him.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“The media transforms the great silence of things into its opposite. Formerly constituting a secret, the real now talks constantly. News reports, information, statistics, and surveys are everywhere.”
—Michel de Certeau (19251986)