Optical Properties: Materials & Maxwell's Equations

This lecture delves into the optical properties of materials, starting with a study of how these properties relate to Maxwell's equations. The instructor introduces the Lorentz model and discusses different types of materials used in optics, emphasizing the importance of permittivities and refractive indices. By exploring the response of matter to incoming light, the lecture explains how charges in materials are displaced and oscillate, leading to the production of a wave. The concept of permittivity as a complex number, with real and imaginary parts, is also covered, along with the relationship between refractive index and absorption in materials. The lecture concludes by highlighting the significance of permittivity in understanding the response of materials to electromagnetic fields.