Electromagnetic Waves Interaction: Transmission, Reflection, and Matter

This lecture explores the interaction of electromagnetic waves with matter, focusing on the visible regime of the spectrum. It covers the forces exerted by E- and B-fields on charges, emission of new waves, Maxwell's Equations in matter, and the interaction with insulators and perfect conductors. The lecture also delves into the reflection and transmission processes, absorption phenomena, darkest materials like Vantablack, and how transparent dielectrics acquire color. It emphasizes the importance of a unified description for electromagnetic wave/matter interaction, including the evaluation of Maxwell's Equations and polarization effects. The reemission of waves at the same frequency, the behavior of e-m waves falling onto conductors or insulators, and the effects of frequency conservation on waves in matter are also discussed.