On the interaction of electromagnetic waves with conductors

Abstract

We study the interaction of electromagnetic waves with electrons. Our results can be applied to radio waves in the ionosphere or to lasers impinging on metals causing melting. We generalize the classical analysis of Zener to the case which includes the interactions of the electrons with lattice vibrations or the positive ions. We use the induced polarization to give a globally coherent and unifying analysis of the two cases, where collisions are important and where they are negligible.