  Exact expressions for all the steady-state fields (E, H, D, B) in uniaxial
linear media composed of an arbitrary number of layers having arbitrary
thicknesses subjected to normal incidence are derived. Generic boundary
condition relations in terms of the surface wave impedance are applied at each
surface so that fields between any sequence of layers can be related by a
cascaded multiplication of transfer functions. With the substitution of the
appropriate surface wave impedance for the generic surface wave impedance,
these generic transfer functions can be made to represent any reflection or
transmission of a wave across any boundary. This formalism obviates the need to
solve a large set of equations or an infinite series of reflections and
transmissions, which has been the traditional approach in solving such
problems. A numerically robust exact expression for the power dissipating in
any uniaxial layer is also provided. Examples of the analysis of multilayered
systems are given. Although the development is devoted to electromagnetic
waves, the methodology and expressions are transferable to acoustical waves,
and to some extent, the quantum mechanical wave function.
