38 Transmission lines and waveguides
Electromagnetic energy may be considered as being carried by a system of conducting cables, or as being guided by the surrounding electric and electromagnetic fields when it travels through the free space between the cables. This latter concept is based on Huygen’s principle which states that each point on a primary wavefront can be considered to be the source of a new secondary spherical wave. Thus by the principle of superposition, the resultant displacement of energy at any point is due to the combined effects of the individual waves at that point. It is this feature that forms the basis of the theory of light wave interference. The concept of free space has a further significance. Free space, for which ...
Get Communications Technology Handbook, 2nd Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
