Concerning the path of light upon total reflection

Abstract

The view that, during total reflection, a light beam makes a detour through the thinner medium must be modified. At one side of the reflection, a fraction of the incident light is diverted into the associated inhomogeneous wave in the thinner medium, which rejoins on the other side at the outgoing beam. In the field undergoing total reflection, in which the incident and reflected wave beams are characterized by their intensity minima, circulating waves appear. These latter waves are areas where the time-averaged energy flow circulates in closed streamlines.