Transverse Electromagnetic Waves

This chapter describes Transverse Electromagnetic (TEM) waves. It starts with an explanation on uniform plane waves, which have the electric and magnetic fields constant (uniform) over a plane. This is the simplest possible solution of the wave equation; so, it is highly suitable for explaining many properties of electromagnetic waves. Plane waves are used to obtain the Fresnel reflection and transmission coefficients for an air‐material interface. The chapter discusses the phenomenon of total internal reflection and non‐uniform plane waves. It explains approximate impedance boundary conditions (IBCs) and describes a recursive method for calculating the reflection by multi‐layer materials. Transmission lines support TEM waves of finite transverse extent. The chapter discusses their characteristics in terms of fields and also in terms of an equivalent LC‐ladder circuit. It considers reflection and transmission of waves on transmission lines and explains the concepts of phase velocity, group velocity and dispersion.