Hello Forum, I have a lot of questions concerning Wave propagation, but I will not pose them all into one thread, because of my experience, that part of them will be overlooked. So lets get started: 1. Phase shift, E-B- Independence Consider a plane wave generated by a distant dipole antenna, propagating in the x direction. Seemingly the phase between E and B shifts from 90deg to 0deg during the travel. And seemingly this is a contradiction to the argument, that E and B create eachother, because if one would look at one position x in space, E and B would have the same "slope", therefore it would not be possible for them to be created by oneanother. I am not sure about that, because one shall not only look at one position x. One has to look at the whole "history", I mean the whole plane wave, because otherwise, by just looking at one point I would ignore the fact, that this is actually a plane wave, which is an important information. Even if I look at for example an spatial interval of λ, I can not yet resolve this issue. Maybe that spatial interval is not enough, do you have an idea? Nevertheless, my question is actually: Does that picture of E and B creating each other hold? I see the fact, that E fluctuations are always accompanied by B fluctuation and vice versa and they are inseparable. So there is no way to create or absorb the E-part without creating or absorbing the B-part. But that does not mean at all, that they should be existentially dependent on eachother. If I am not straying , that would mean for the planewave in the far-field of the dipole-antenna, that the E-plane and B-plane are generated equivalently by the dipole, but not by each other. So the B-planes are not a product of the E-planes and vice versa, but both are simply a product of the radiation source. Doesnt make that sense? I mean, if you now take another antenna, to absorb that plane wave, you have to adjust it such that the E-Field is parallel to the antenna, in order to create a voltage drop inside of it. If E and B would be somehow existentially related, then I could also calculate that same voltage drop inside the antenna by just looking at the B-field. But that B-field is a plane, and it can not possibly create a voltage drop inside the same antenna. Similarly, and even more impressive, if you try to absorb the plane wave by using a ring-shaped antenna, then you have to adjust it such that the plane normal of the ring antenna is parallel to B. The B would then create a voltage drop inside the ring by creating an eddy E-field. Again, if that picture of E<-creating->B would hold, then that eddy E-Field which I just mentioned, that has been created by the magnetic field inside the antenna loop should also be a part of E-plane-field, which is (vainly) a product of the B-plane according to the picture. But this can not be the case, because the E-plane is not able to create a voltage drop inside that ring-antenna. Therefore that Eddy-E-Field is not a Part of the E-plane accompanying the B-Plane. Conclusion: that picture of E<-creating->B does not hold. EDIT: I thought about that phase-difference question again and actually found, that there is no contradiction. One has to link spatial variation of the one Field wit time variation of the other Field. Not spatial-spatial or time-time. Then it makes sense. Now B and E could be actually existentially linked.... But I still doubt that, because my explaination above is still active.