Beyond Antenna Q: On Reactive Energy and the Need For a Spatio-Temporal Dynamical Paradigm

We question the common emphasis on antenna quality factor Q and input impedance within fundamental research in antenna theory and applied electromagnetics. Alternatively, the requirements and need for a fully-fledged spatio-temporal dynamical approach to the description and analysis of energy transformations, especially in the antenna near one, is highlighted, particularly in light of the authors' recent computational FDTD-IDM method. An outline of the derivation of general time-dependent reactive energy is given, providing foundations for the FDTD-IDM approach. Some of the physical, conceptional, and engineering aspects of the results are also discussed.