Cecil Moore wrote:
Gene Fuller wrote:
Cecil Moore wrote:
Incidentally, this is a different convention from the field
of optics.

That is a rather curious comment. Why do you say the convention is
different for optics? There are no commonly used "voltage" or
"current" descriptions in optics, so analysis is done using E-fields
and H-fields. Otherwise there is no difference in convention between
optical and RF.

In optics, to the best of my knowledge, there is no separate
reflection coefficient for the E-field and the H-field. If
true, that fact alone implies a different convention from
the field of RF.


There is no difference. The H-field is related to the E-field by the
properties of the medium. The current is related to the voltage by the
properties (Z0) of the medium. It is therefore possible to calculate a
single reflection coefficient. It is the same situation at RF as at
optical frequencies.

If you are referring to the sign change of the current reflection for
open vs. short circuit, then there is still no difference. The formula
for the reflection coefficient contain terms that change sign depending
on the relative properties of the media. It matters not whether one is
dealing with HF or visible light.

73,
Gene
W4SZ