7. Glossary

anisotropic :

Refers to a medium with different properties in different directions in space.

bi-anisotropic :

Refers to a medium in which the fields D and B both depend on the two fields E and H. In natural environments, D depends only on E, and B only on H.

chirality (parameter of) :

Coefficient linking D to H and B to E (in chiral or bi-anisotropic media).

refractive index (of a medium): ratio between electromagnetic wave velocities in a vacuum and in the medium under consideration.

isotropic :

Refers to a medium with the same properties in all directions in space.

monochromatic (wave) :

A wave with a single frequency, as opposed to polychromatic...