Light
Visualization of a linearly polarized electromagnetic wave propagating in the z-direction, showing the orthogonal electric (E) and magnetic (B) field components oscillating in phase. The electric field (blue) and magnetic field (red) are perpendicular to each other and to the direction of propagation, forming a transverse wave as described by Maxwell's equations. This is a fundamental representation of electromagnetic radiation, which includes visible light, radio waves, X-rays, and other forms of electromagnetic waves that travel at the speed of light in vacuum.
Download
Code
Typst
light.typ (56 lines)
// adapted from https://github.com/cetz-package/cetz/blob/a082e02a/gallery/waves.typ
#import "@preview/cetz:0.3.2": canvas, draw, vector, matrix
#set page(width: auto, height: auto, margin: .5cm)
#canvas({
import draw: set-transform, scale, content, line, grid, group, rotate
// Set up the transformation matrix
set-transform(matrix.transform-rotate-dir((1, 1, -1.3), (0, 1, .4)))
scale(x: 1.5, z: -1)
let arrow-style = (mark: (end: "stealth", fill: black, scale: 0.5))
// Coordinate axes labels and arrows
draw.line((0, -2, 0), (0, 2.5, 0), ..arrow-style)
draw.line((-0.5, 0, 0), (8.5, 0, 0), ..arrow-style)
draw.line((0, 0, -1.5), (0, 0, 2), ..arrow-style)
content((0, 0, 2.3), [$arrow(E)$])
content((0, 3, 0), [$arrow(B)$])
content((8.7, 0, 0), [$arrow(v)$])
grid((0, -2), (8, 2), stroke: gray + .5pt)
// Draw a sine wave on the xy plane
let wave(amplitude: 1, fill: none, phases: 2, scale: 8, samples: 100) = {
line(
..(
for x in range(0, samples + 1) {
let x = x / samples
let p = (2 * phases * calc.pi) * x
((x * scale, calc.sin(p) * amplitude),)
}
),
fill: fill,
)
let subdivs = 8
for phase in range(0, phases) {
let x = phase / phases
for div in range(1, subdivs + 1) {
let p = 2 * calc.pi * (div / subdivs)
let y = calc.sin(p) * amplitude
let x = x * scale + div / subdivs * scale / phases
line((x, 0), (x, y), stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0, 150) + .5pt)
}
}
}
// Draw waves
group({
rotate(x: 90deg)
wave(amplitude: 1.6, fill: rgb(0, 0, 255, 50))
})
wave(amplitude: 1, fill: rgb(255, 0, 0, 50))
})