Abstract
As a consequence of the linearity of Maxwell’s equations, the total electromagnetic field that results from a superposition of fields is the vector sum of the fields; practically all optical detectors, however, respond to the light intensity, i.e., to the absolute square of the field. The linear superposition principle generally applies only to the fields, but not to the intensity of a superposition of fields. Deviations from the linear superposition of intensities are called interference; in the following we will discuss important manifestations thereof.
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Notes
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In the same way and with the same result, one can calculate the density of states ρ B(k) of electron Bloch waves in a semiconductor [see Eq. (6.107)].
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Reider, G.A. (2016). Optical Interference. In: Photonics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26076-1_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26076-1_4
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