Question

Lasers can be constructed that produce an extremely high intensity electromagnetic wave for a brief time—called pulsed lasers. They are used to ignite nuclear fusion, for example. Such a laser may produce an electromagnetic wave with a maximum electric field strength of 1.00×10^11 V/m for a time of 1.00 ns. (a) What is the maximum magnetic field strength in the wave?

a) 3.34×10^-4 T
b) 2.00×10^11 T
c) 1.00×10^11 T
d) 7.07×10^-5 T

Answer 1

The maximum magnetic field strength in the wave, produced by a pulsed laser with an electric field strength of 1.00 x 10⁹ V/m, is calculated using the speed of light and is found to be approximately 3.34 x 10⁻⁴ T.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks about the relationship between the electric field and the magnetic field in an electromagnetic wave emitted by a pulsed laser. According to Maxwell's equations, in a vacuum, the electric field (E) and magnetic field (B) in an electromagnetic wave are related by the speed of light (c): B = E/c.

Given that the electric field strength is E = 1.00 × 10¹¹ V/m and the speed of light is c = 3.00 × 10 m/s, we can calculate the maximum magnetic field strength as follows: B = 1.00 × 10¹¹ V/m / 3.00 × 10 m/s = 3.33 × 10⁻· T, which is closest to option (a) 3.34 × 10⁻· T.