Phase & Group Velocity 59

Phase And Group Velocit y

Chapter
4
4.1 WAVE TRAIN AND THE CONCEPT OF WAVE GROUP:
A wave train of finite length may be considered to be formed by the superposition of a theoretically infinite
number of plane harmonic waves having continuously differing frequencies. For practical purpose the
frequencies are limited within a finite range depending on the length of the wave train. The shorter is the
length of the wave train the wider is the effective frequency range. In this sense a short enough wave train
may be considered as a group of harmonic waves. It may be called a wave group or a wave packet.
4.2 PHASE VELOCITY, GROUP VELOCITY AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP:
When a monochromatic harmonic wave moves through a medium the velocity with which planes of con-
stant phase move is called the phase velocity or wave velocity. A plane harmonic wave may be represented
by   x, t   Re Ae jt  kx  ... (1)
For planes of constant phase, ωt  kx = constant ... (2)
d dx 
Differentiating,  t  kx   0 or,   c p ... (3)
dt dt k
where cp is called the phase velocity.
Practical waves are of finite duration and are not truly monochromatic. A short enough wave train may be
considered as a wave group formed by the superposition of an infinite number of plane harmonic wave
having slightly differing frequencies and phases. The wave group has a maximum of amplitude which falls
off to zero not far from the maximum. If the medium is dispersive i.e., the phase velocity depends on

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frequency then the shape of the wave group changes as it travels through the medium. The maximum ofthe
wave group travels with a velocity that is different from the velocities of the component waves. This veloc-
ity is known as group velocity  cg  .

4.3 RELATION BETWEEN PHASE VELOCITY AND GROUP VELOCITY:

The wave group is not situated at a fixed point but moves in space with a velocity, called group velocity,
dx d
given by cg   ... (4)
dt dk
Since phase velocity c p   / k    c p k we can write

d dc dc d
cg 
dk
 cp k   cp  k p  cp  k p 
dk d dk
Now, k  2 /  or, d / dk   2 / k 2 .
 60 Phase & Group Velocity

2 dc p dc
 cg  c p  .  c p
k d d
This is the required relation between phase velocity and group velocity for a dispersive medium. For a non-
dispersive medium dc p /d  0 . Then  g  c p i.e, group velocity equals phase velocity..

SOLVED EXAMPLES

1. For gravity waves in a liquid the phase velocity c depends on the wavelength  according to the formula
c p  A  , A being a constant. Show that the group velocity is half the phase velocity..

dc p 1 1/2
Soln. cp  A    A
d 2

dc p 1 c 1
Therefore, cg  cp    cp  A   c p  p  cp
d 2 2 2
2. The dispersion relation for microwaves in ionosphere is given by
2  2p  c2 k 2
where c is the velocity of light in free space and p is a constant depending on the electron density of the
ionosphere. Show that the phase velocity cp is greater than c. Does it violate the principle of relativity?

Soln.  2p  c 2 k 2

 2
2p
Therefore, Phase velocity c p   c  2 which is greater than c.
k k
Differentiating the dispersion relation with respect to k we get
d  d
2  c 2 .2k  .  c2
dk k dk
 www.careerendeavour.com
c p cg  c 2 since cp  c, cg  c 
It does not violate the principle of relativity because energy or signal is transmitted not with the phase velocity
but with group velocity which is less than c.
3. Two harmonic waves represented by
1  3cos  7t  10x  m and 2  3cos  5t  8x  m
are superposed to form a wave group. Find the group velocity.
Soln. Angular frequencies are 1  7 rad / s and 5 rad/s. Wave numbers are k1  10 m 1 and k 2  8 m 1 .
 75
Therefore, Group velocity cg    1m/s .
k 10  8

4. The phase velocity cp of surface waves on a liquid of density  and surface tension S is given by
g 2S
c 2p  
2 
Phase & Group Velocity 61
where ‘g’ is the accleration due to gravity and  is the wavelength of the wave.
(i) Obtain an expression for the group velocity of the wave.
(ii) Calculate the wavelength  0  for which c is the minimum
(iii) Show that for    0 , group velocity cg  cp .

d d dc
Soln. (i) Group velocity cg  
dk dk
 cp k   cp  k p
dk
2 dc
Since k, cg  c p   p
 d
Now differentiating the given expression with respect to  ,
dc p g 2S
2cp  
d 2  2

  g 2S 
 cg  c p    
2cp  2  2 

dc g 2S
(ii) For c to be minimum, 0  2   2  0  0  2 S / g
d 0

0  g 2S 
(iii) For    0  cg  cp    2  = cp – 0 = cp
2cp  2 .4  S/g  
5. A wave packet in a certain medium is constructed by superposing waves of frequency  around 0 = 100
and the corresponding wave-number k with k0 = 10 as given in the table below
 k
81.00 9.0
90.25 9.5
100.00 10.0
110.25 10.5
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121.00 11.0
Find the ratio vg / g p of the group velocity vg and the phase velocity vp.
1 3
(a) (b) 1 (c) (d) 2
2 2
[IIT-JAM : 2009]
 100 100  90.25 9.75
Soln. (d) v p    10 ; vg1    19.5
k 10 10  9.5 0.5
110.25  100 10.25 v   vg  19.5  20.5
1 2
vg2     20.5 ; v g  g   20
10.5  10 0.5 2 2
vg 20
  2
vp 10
 62 Phase & Group Velocity

6. For a wave in a medium the angular frequency '  ' and the wave vector k are related by,,  2  02  c 2 k 2  ,
where 0 and c are constants. The product of group and phase velocities, i.e. vg v p is:
(a) 0.25c 2 (b) 0.4c 2 (c) 0.5c 2 (d) c 2
[IIT-JAM : 2010]
2
 02  c 2 k 2 v  d   ck
2
Soln. (d) vp   ; g dk 0  c 2 k 2
2  vg .v p  c
k k

7. The dispersion relation for a wave is given as  ( k )  C sin ka , where C is a constant. The group velocity
of the wave vanishes at
(a) k = 0 (b) k    /2a (c) k    /2 (d) k   2 /a
[IIT-JAM GP : 2008]
Soln. (b)
(k)

3   3 k
2a 2a 2a 2a

 (k )  C sin ka
d 
vg   0 at k  
dk 2a
8. In a certain medium, the wave number k and the frequency  are related by the dispersion relation
 2  c 2k 2 (1   k 2 ) , where c and  are constants. If vg is the group velocity and vp is the phase velocity,,
then
vg (1   k 2 )
(a) v g  v p (b) v  (c) v g  v p  c 2 (d) v g  v p  c 2 (1  2 k 2 )
p (1  2 k 2 )
[IIT-JAM GP : 2010]
Soln. (d)
  ck (1   k 2 )1/2 www.careerendeavour.com
d 1
vg   c (1   k 2 )1/2  ck (1   k 2 )1/2 (2 k )
dk 2
 ck 2 c (1   k 2 )   ck 2
 c (1   k 2 )1/2  
(1   k 2 )1/2 (1   k 2 )1/2

c (1  2 k 2 )

(1   k 2 )1/ 2

Since v p   c (1   k 2 )1/ 2
k
Therefore, vg  v p  c 2 (1  2 k 2 )
Phase & Group Velocity 63

9. The dispersion relation for surface waves propagating in a fluid is given as:  2   k   k 3 , where  and 
are constants with appropriate units. The phase velocity  Vp becomes equal to the group velocity
Vg at k  k0 . The value of k0 is
 2  3
(a) (b) (c) (d)
2   
[IIT-JAM GP : 2012]
Soln. (c)    k   k 3

 k   k 3
Phase velocity V p  
k k
d (  3 k 2 )
Group velocity V y  
dk 2  k   k 3

V p  Vg

k   k 3   3 k 2
   2( k   k 3 )   k  3 k 3
k 2 k   k 3

  k 3  k  0


k

10. The angular frequency  of deep water waves varies as the inverse square root of the wavelength
 , i.e.,      1/  . Which of the following is the relation between its group velocity vg and phase velocity
vp ?
(a) vg  v p / 2 (b) vg  v p (c) vg  2v p (d) vg   v p
[JNU : 2009]

Soln. (a)  
1
; 
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, ' a ' is constant
 
a 2
  . k 
2 k
a2
Or, 2  k
2

d a 2 d a 2 1 a 2 2
 2  ;  .  .
dk 2 dk 4  4 a k

d a 1  a k a 1
  .  vg and  .  .  vp
dk 2 2 k k 2 k 2 k

1 a 1 1 vp
 vg   .  vp  vg 
2  2 k  2 2