Exploring the Cooray-Diendorfer Return Stroke Model: Unraveling the Mechanism Behind the Diminished Propagation Speed of Electromagnetic Waves in Dielectric Media

Electromagnetic fields are comprised of photons, which invariably travel at the speed of light in free space. However, an intriguing question arises: why do electromagnetic waves in dielectric media seem to propagate at a speed less than that of light? A recent investigation, drawing upon the insights from the Cooray-Diendorfer return stroke model, posits that electromagnetic fields in dielectric media do, in fact, propagate at their intrinsic speed, the same as the speed of light in free space. The apparent reduction in speed is attributed to the interference of multiple electromagnetic fields, each prop-agating at the speed of light in free space. This paper delves into the methodology employed in this study, exemplify-ing its application to electromagnetic waves propagating within a cable.