RF and Microwave Engineering: Fundamentals of Wireless Communications

2.6 Summary

In Section 2.1 we reviewed the basics of static electric and magnetic fields with an emphasis on physical understanding. A focus of our discussion was the interrelation between field quantities (like electric and magnetic field strength) and circuit parameters (like voltage, current, capacitance, inductance). Furthermore, we saw how differential vector operators relate to the sources of irrotational and solenoidal vector fields.

From basic field theory we stepped forward to Maxwell's equations in Section 2.2. These equations provide a mathematical description of the time-varying behaviour of electromagnetic phenomena in general. We primarily focused on physical meaning and visual interpretation of both the differential and the integral form of Maxwell' equations. Finally, we included constitutive relations and interface conditions to complete our set of relations.

It is difficult to identify solutions to Maxwell's equations in general. If we assume fields to be of static (time-invariant) or of quasi-statical (gradually time variant) nature, the complexity of Maxwell's equations will be reduced considerably; which in turn makes it much easier to determine the solution. Unfortunately for matters of high frequency technology these assumptions are insufficient in most cases and therefore the full set of Maxwell's equations needs to be considered simultaneously (see Section 2.3).

In this context, two aspects are of particular importance: the skin effect on the surface of ...