Energy conservation for inhomogeneous plane waves

Abstract

In studying the reflection and transmission of inhomogeneous plane waves at liquid–solid interfaces, it is found that the theory predicts a minimum in the reflection coefficient at the Rayleigh angle. This phenomenon has not been predicted by previous treatments of homogeneous plane waves. A second surprising point is that the theory predicts that the modulus of the reflection coefficient becomes greater than unity for angles larger than the Rayleigh angle. A physical interpretation of this result is given, and it is shown that it is consistent with the conservation of energy.