560 8. Electromagnetic Waves in Dispersive Media and Anisotropic Media
These are two plane waves with different wave numbers, i.e., birefringence.
The magnetic induction vectors for the two waves are linearly polarized and
are perpendicular to each other.
The magnetic field vectors of the two waves are given by
H
x
H
y
H
z
=
ν
1
jν
2
0
−jν
2
ν
1
0
0 0 ν
3
0
B
y
B
z
. (8.396)
For the eigenwave type I, B
x
= 0, B
z
= 0, and B
y
6= 0, i.e., the magnetic
induction vector is perpendicular to the direction of the d-c magnetic field.
Then H
x
= jν
2
B
y
, H
y
= ν
1
B
y
, and H
z
= 0. The magnetic field vector
H becomes elliptically polarized on the x-y plane, although the magnetic
induction vector B is linearly polarized.
For the eigenwave type II, B
x
= 0, B
y
= 0, and B
z
6= 0, i.e., the magnetic
induction vector is parallel to the direction of the d-c magnetic field. Then
H
z
= ν
3
B
z
, H
x
= 0, and H
y
= 0. The magnetic field vector H as well as
the magnetic induction vector B are linearly polarized.
This special type of birefringence in gyrotropic media is known as the
Cotton–Mouton effect.
The Faraday effect and the Cotton–Mouton effect in optical wave band
are known as magneto-optic effect. Note that, for magneto-optic effect, most
anisotropic materials can be considered as ²-anisotropic media [7, 55].
8.11 Magnetostatic Waves
In ferrimagnetic material, under the influence of an external d-c bias field
H
0
, the magnetic dipole moments created by the spin of the bound electrons
in the material precess around the direction of the bias field at the same rate
and same phase. Any perturbation of the magnetic field or any a-c magnetic
field H
1
will change the state of precession of the spinning electrons. If, as
a result of a localized change in H
1
, the state of precession of a spinning
electron is arbitrarily changed, the nearest-neighbor spinning electron will
try to change its precession also, by the influence of the perturbation of
the magnetic field caused by the changing of the magnetic dipolar field of
the former spinning electron and by the electromagnetic exchange following
the Maxwell equations. This process then continues to other neighboring
spinning electrons, resulting in a spin wave as shown in Fig. 8.32.
When the interaction between the a-c magnetic field and the magnetic
dipole spin system is strong, the prevailing coupling mechanism among the
spins is the magnetic dipolar field and the Maxwell electromagnetic ex-
change effects are negligible, the spin waves are known as magnetostatic
waves (MSW) [93].
The magnetostatic waves travel with velocities in the range of 3 to 1000