Special Cases: Perfect Conductors and Lossy Media

This lecture covers special cases not included in the previous theory, focusing on perfect conductors and media with losses. Perfect conductors do not allow electric or magnetic fields inside, leading to total reflection at the interface. For perfect conductors, the reflection coefficient is -1, indicating 100% reflection with a phase shift. Moving on to lossy media, the lecture explores how finite conductivity introduces absorption, affecting wave propagation. The effective complex permittivity modifies the wave vectors, causing exponential attenuation. The lecture delves into the complex wave vectors and phase shifts in lossy media, highlighting the unique behavior of attenuated waves propagating and attenuating in different directions.