The tunnel effect in electromagnetic propagation

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The tunnel effect is considered here within the framework of electromagnetic propagation. The classical problem of a plane gap of dielectric, surrounded on both sides by a medium with larger refraction index, is studied in the case in which an electromagnetic plane wave impinges into the gap with an incidence angle larger than the critical angle. In this condition (total reflection), the gap acts as a classically forbidden region and behaves like a tunnel. The field inside the forbidden gap consists of two evanescent waves, each one having its wavefronts normal to the interface. In the present paper we study the total field derived as a superposition of two such evanescent waves, its wavefronts, and the directions of propagation of both phase and energy.