Engineering 156 - Spring 1999
Generation, Propagation, and Detection of Electromagnetic
Waves
Tu & Th 2:30-3:50 B&H 160
Office Hours:
Wednesday 3-5 pm (or anytime I'm there, open door policy)
Textbooks:
Required: Fields
and Waves in Communication Electronics, by Ramo, Whinnery and Van Duzer.
Useful: Introduction
to Electrodynamics, by David J. Griffiths
Prerequisite:
EN51 or equivalent (Physics 47).
About the Course
Almost all
modern communication systems rely on electromagnetic waves, from cell phones,
fiber optics, TV, and radio to the internet. This course covers the basics
of electromagnetic waves stressing applications. I will follow the textbook
closely and add examples in space-based communications and how electromagnetic
waves can be used in research, for example, in astrophysics. There will
be a course project. The basic outline is as follows:
Part I:
Review of Electricity and Magnetism. Static electric and magnetic fields.
Maxwell's equations.
Part II:
Transmission lines, wave propagation and reflection, wave guides and
resonant cavities.
Part III:
Microwave networks, radiation of electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic
properties of materials, optics.
Grading
Homework:
15%
Design Project: 15%
Midterm 1:
20%
Midterm 2:
20%
Final Exam:
30%
Course Policy
-
Homework is assigned on Tuesdays and will be due the following
Tuesday.
-
All exams are open book.
-
The design projects can be done in teams.
-
Informal problem sessions will be held in my office.
-
Midterms will be in class.
-
The final exam is three hours.