Abstract

The fact that the formula used by Hannay in the preceding Comment [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 25, 2165 (2008) ] is “from a standard text on electrodynamics” neither warrants that it is universally applicable nor that it is unequivocally correct. We have explicitly shown [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 25, 543 (2008) ] that, since it does not include the boundary contribution toward the value of the field, the formula in question is not applicable when the source is extended and has a distribution pattern that rotates faster than light in vacuo. The neglected boundary term in the retarded solution to the wave equation governing the electromagnetic field forms the basis of diffraction theory. If this term were identically zero, for the reasons given by Hannay, the diffraction of electromagnetic waves through apertures on a surface enclosing a source would have been impossible.

© 2008 Optical Society of America

Morphology of the nonspherically decaying radiation beam generated by a rotating superluminal source: comment

J. H. Hannay
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 25(9) 2165-2166 (2008)

Morphology of the nonspherically decaying radiation beam generated by a rotating superluminal source

Houshang Ardavan, Arzhang Ardavan, John Singleton, Joseph Fasel, and Andrea Schmidt
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 24(8) 2443-2456 (2007)

Spectral properties of the nonspherically decaying radiation generated by a rotating superluminal source

Houshang Ardavan, Arzhang Ardavan, John Singleton, Joseph Fasel, and Andrea Schmidt
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 25(3) 780-784 (2008)

Fundamental role of the retarded potential in the electrodynamics of superluminal sources

Houshang Ardavan, Arzhang Ardavan, John Singleton, Joseph Fasel, and Andrea Schmidt
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 25(3) 543-557 (2008)

Spectral and polarization characteristics of the nonspherically decaying radiation generated by polarization currents with superluminally rotating distribution patterns: reply to comment

Houshang Ardavan, Arzhang Ardavan, and John Singleton
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 23(6) 1535-1539 (2006)