ABSTRACT
This chapter provides general expressions for electromagnetic (EM) wave theory and shows how they can be used to determine surface properties. It describes how the EM theory can be used to derive the radiative transfer equation. Relations between radiative, optical, and electrical properties are developed by considering wave propagation in a medium and the interaction between the EM wave and matter. EM wave propagation through a medium, and how the wave behaves at the interface between dissimilar media depends on the electromagnetic properties of the media. The chapter focuses on how EM waves behave at the interface of dissimilar media. This allows the authors to derive the laws of reflection and refraction in terms of the real and imaginary parts of the complex index of refraction, which are related to the electric and magnetic properties of the two media.
