Physics of microwave reflection at a dielectric-ferrite interface

The reflection of electromagnetic waves from magnetized ferrites has been analyzed from the view point of energy flow and ray propagation. Renard's analysis of reflection from dielectrics has been generalized to study the lateral shift of an electromagnetic beam reflected from a ferrite half-space magnetized transverse to the plane of incidence. The nonreciprocity of total reflection has been explained in terms of unequal lateral shifts when the rays are incident from opposite sides to the normal. The shift can be positive as well as negative and is finite at normal incidence. This study leads to a phenomenological ray model for attenuated total reflection from a ferrite provided that the linewidth is small. The results can be useful for open-resonator measurements of linewidth in the millimeter-wave region.