Newsgroups: sci.physics.electromag From: jost@washpost.wdc.sri.com ("Randy J. Jost") Message-ID: Subject: FAQ pt 1/2 Reply-To: jost@washpost.wdc.sri.com Date: 26 Apr 1994 14:07:03 EST X-Received: by usenet.pa.dec.com; id AA12032; Tue, 26 Apr 94 11:32:06 -0700 X-Received: from sparkyfs.erg.sri.com by inet-gw-3.pa.dec.com (5.65/21Mar94) id AA02756; Tue, 26 Apr 94 11:22:56 -0700 X-Received: from washpost.wdc.sri.com by sparkyfs.erg.sri.com (5.65/2.7davy) id AA22594; Tue, 26 Apr 94 11:22:39 -0700 X-Received: From SRI_WDC_1/WORKQUEUE by washpost.wdc.sri.com via Charon 3.4 with IPX id 100.940426140717.544; 26 Apr 94 14:22:02 -0500 X-To: sci.physics.electromag.usenet X-Priority: normal X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail/Mac v2.02 Lines: 367 Greetings to all! After much delay, here is the first offering of the FAQ for sci.physics.electromag. Please feel free to critique it, criticize, complain, suggest, add, subtract, praise, pan, whatever, just send us your input. Randy ************************* FAQ follows ********************************** sci.physics.electromag.FAQ part 1/2 Version: 0.1 Date: 26 April 1994 SCI.PHYSICS.ELECTROMAG Frequently Asked Questions Welcome to the sci.physics.electromag (SPE) Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) file. This is the initial version of the FAQ, hence it has some holes and areas where input is needed. Once this FAQ becomes stable, we will post it on a monthly basis. Until then, this list will be making more frequent appearances, as additional information is added. Because of limitations in certain mailers, and since this FAQ has already reached approximately 40k, it has been split into multiple parts. That way, it should travel through all the Internet gateways, and be readable by almost any newsreader/email software without any trouble. If you have other topics that you think should receive FAQ status, want to submit a FAQ and answer, or have additional information on an existing FAQ, please contact either of the following individuals: Dr. Todd Hubing ( thubing@ee.umr.edu ) Dr. Randy J. Jost ( jost@washpost.wdc.sri.com ) We have intentionally left some topics unfinished, partly to get this out to the group, but also to encourage other people to contribute their ideas and thoughts. Please feel free to add more to this. It will only be as good as the input that goes into it. CONTRIBUTORS Several individuals submitted suggestions and contributions which went into the creation of this FAQ. Among these are: Raymond Anderson raymonda@uranium.ebay.sun.com Weston Beal weston.beal@sun.com Allen Davidson casr04@email.mot.com Jeff Haferman haferman@icaen.uiowa.edu Chuck Harrison 73770.1337@compuserve.com Todd Hubing thubing@ee.umr.edu Randy Jost jost@washpost.wdc.sri.com Gian Luigi Gragnani gragnani@dibe.unige.it Dave Michelson davem@ee.ubc.ca John Moulder jmoulder@post.its.mcw.edu Robert Perry perry@mimicad.colorado.edu Al Wong eunos@mercury.sfsu.edu --------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS Part 1/2 1. FAQ ADMINISTRATION 2. EM REFERENCES 3. EM THEORY ISSUES Part 2/2 4. COMPUTER MODELING 5. BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS 6. HISTORY OF ELECTROMAGNETICS FAQ ADMINISTRATION [1.0] What is sci.physics.electromag all about? The sci.physics.electromag charter is given as: Sci.physics.electromag will be dedicated to the discussion of topics pertaining to electromagnetics. These include, but are not limited to: electromagnetic wave theory computational EM modeling microwave devices and circuits antenna design electromagnetic interference biological effects ELF and VLF fields EM measurements wave propagation shielding electrostatic discharge new RF devices and technology [1.1] How do I post and/or receive to sci.physics.electromag? There are two ways to post to sci.physics.electromag. One way is to use a newsreader program. The other way is to post e-mail to the group by sending articles to: sci.physics.electromag.usenet@decwrl.dec.com Everything else, such as title, and message text should be done as per a normal email message. To receive the posts from sci.physics.electromag, presently you must use some type of newsreader software that will allow you to subscribe to the newsgroup. We are currently investigating other ways to get the contents of sci.physics.electromag to those who do not have access to the USENET newsgroups. It is possible to read newsgroup articles by gopher server. This can be of benefit if a local newserver has died. There are several gopher sites that allow users to read newsgroups. One of them is, gopher commsun.its.csiro.au (gopher 152.83.8.2) When a menu shows up, chose the following options :- 5. USENET News - Internet Bulletin Board/ 48. sci / 73. physics / 3. electromag / (Presently accessable from anywhere/anytime) [1.2] Is there an ftp site dedicated to sci.physics.electromag? Work is in progress on setting up a site, but is as yet, not ready. Still in the category of "Coming soon to a computer near you!" EM REFERENCE [2.1] What organizations, groups, or societies are oriented towards electromagnetics? Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES) This organization is oriented toward the computational aspects of electromagnetics. For information on becoming a member of ACES, contact Dr. Richard W. Adler, ECE Department, Code EC/AB, Naval Postgraduate School, 833 Dyer Rd., Rm 437, Monterey, CA 93943-5121, USA; Telephone: (408) 646-1111; Fax: (408) 646-0300; E-mail: 5541304@mcimail.com. Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) For information, contact the society at the following address: 120 West Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701, USA; Telephone: (301) 663-4252; Fax: (301) 663-0043. Computer Applications in Electromagnetic Education (CAEME) This is an organization of industries and universities who support the development of computational tools for EM education applications. For more information contact Dr. Magdy Iskander, CAEME Director, Electrical Engineering Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112. Electromagnetics Society (EMS) European Bioelectromagnetics Association (EBEA) This organization groups together many European as well as noneuropean researchers involved in both low and high frequency interactions. For additional information, contact its president: Guglielmo D'Inzeo; Dept. of Electronic Engineering; "La Sapienza" University of Rome; Via Eudossiana 18; 00184 Roma, Italy; Telephone: + 39 6 44585853; Fax: + 39 6 4742647; E-mail: dinzeo@tce.ing.uniromal.it. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) The largest profesional organization in the world, IEEE has several societies that are oriented towards electromagnetics. Chief among these are the Antennas & Propagation, Electromagnetic Compatibility, Microwave Theory & Techniques, Magnetics, Nuclear Science & Plasma Science. For information contact the IEEE at: Customer Service, 445 Hoes Lane, PO Box 1331, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08855-1331, USA; Telephone: 908-981-0060; Fax 908-981-9667; E-mail: member.services@ieee.org. Any overseas groups that should be included here would be especially helpful. [2.2] What are good ftp/gopher/www sites to obtain EM related software, freeware or shareware? Are there other discussion lists for emag related topics? What are they? The following ftp sites are known to contain electromagnetics related files: Address Directory Contents ------- --------- -------- ftp.netcom.com /pub/rander/NEC NEC (Numerical Electromagnetics (IP Address ) Code) archive microwave.jpl.nasa.gov EMlib files (IP Address 128.149.76.31) emclab.ee.umr.edu /pub/aces ACES files, misc. (IP Address 131.151.8.246) /pub/ieee IEEE EMC Society Ed. Comm. files If you know of other sites, please send the site name, IP address, whre in the directory the files are located, and a brief description of contents. The following are other electromagnetics related mailing lists known to exist: NEClist is an internet mailing list devoted to the Numerical Electromagnetics Code and its various incarnations. Participants include developers and users of NEC-derived codes. If you would like to join, send a message with your name and e-mail address in the text to Dave Michelson: davem@ee.ubc.ca. If you want to post a message, just send it to: nec-list@ee.ubc.ca. There is a BITNET list, EMFLDS-L (Electromagnetics in Medicine, Science & Communications) which is devoted to the applications of electromagnetics in the indicated areas. To subscribe, send the message "SIGNON EMFLDS-L" to the address LISTSERV@UBVM.BITNET (or LISTSERV@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU). When posting messages to this list, just send mail to the address "EMFLDS-L@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU". Archive files are also available and information on how to obtain them is included in the welcome message you receive after signing on. [2.3] What are good text/reference books on EM at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels? What other books should be on the shelf of the practising electromagneticist? Asking people's opinions on selecting an electromagnetics textbook for study is somewhat akin to asking about religion. Everyone has an opinion, and they can get quite incensed about the situation if you don't see things their way. Notwithstanding the potential pitfalls of offering an opinion, the following texts all have something to offer. The separation between beginning, intermediate and advanced is somewhat arbitrary. All entries will be considered, and if you offer a candidate for the list, please include a couple of reasons why you think the book deserves to be included. Eventually, it would be nice to have these selections annotated with their strengths and weaknesses. Although these are mostly favorites of mine (Jost), they should serve almost anyone in good stead. I'm afraid my engineering background is probably showing through, but I trust the many physicists in the group will show me the light. Remember, your mileage may vary! Beginning Level Cheng, D.K. "Fundamentals of Engineering Electromagnetics, 2nd ed.," Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1993. Kraus, J.D., "Electromagnetics, 4th ed.," McGraw-Hill, 1992. Zahn, M., "Electromagnetic Field Theory: A Problem Solving Approach," Wiley & Sons, New York, 1979. Intermediate Level Balanis, C. "Advanced Engineering Electromagnetics," Wiley, 1989. Collin, R.E. "Field Theory of Guided Waves, 2nd Ed," IEEE Press, 1991. Harrington, R.F., "Time-Harmonic Electromagnetic Fields," McGraw-Hill, 1961. Jordan, E.C. and K.G. Balmain, "Electromagnetic Waves and Radiating Systems," 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1968. Advanced Level Jackson, J.D. "Classical Electrodynamics, 2nd ed.," Wiley, 1975. Jones, D.S. "The Theory of Electromagnetism," Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1964. Landau, L.D. and E.M. Lifshitz, "The Classical Theory of Fields," 3rd. revised English edition, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1971. __________, "Electrodynamics of Continuous Media," Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1960. Smythe, W.R. Static and Dynamic Electricity, 3rd ed., revised printing" Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, 1989. Sommerfeld, A. "Electrodynamics," Academic Press, New York, 1952. Stratton, J.A., "Electromagnetic Theory," McGraw-Hill, 1941. "Applied" Texts Balanis, C.A. "Antenna Theory," Wiley, 1982. Collin, R.E. "Field Theory of Guided Waves," 2nd ed., IEEE Press, 1991. Kraus, J.D. "Antennas, 2nd ed.," McGraw-Hill, 1988. Ramo, S., J.R. Whinnery, and T. Van Duzer, "Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics," 2nd ed., Wiley & Sons, New York, 1984. Stutzman, W.L. & G.A. Thiele, "Antenna Theory and Design," Wiley & Sons, 1981. Mathematical Texts Abromowitz, M. and I.A. Stegun, eds., "Handbook of Mathematical Functions," U.S. National Bureau of Standards, (1964), also Dover, New York 1965. Courant, R. and D. Hilbert, "Methods of Mathematical Physics," 2 vols., Wiley-Interscience, New York (1962). Gradshteyn, I.S. and I.M. Ryzhik, "Table of Integrals, Series, and Products," 4th ed., prepared by Yu. V. Geronimus and M. Yu. Tseytlin, corrected and enlarged edition, translated by Alan Jeffrey, 1980. Morse, P.M. and H. Feshbach, "Methods of Theoretical Physics," 2 vols., McGraw-Hill, New York, 1953. Sommerfeld, A. "Partial Differential Equations," Academic Press, New York, 1949. Miscellaneous Texts Maxwell, J.C. "Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism,"3rd ed. (1891), 2 vols., reprinted by Dover, New York, 1954. [2.4] What are the units of electromagnetics? Does anybody really use esu or emu units? When carrying out electromagnetic calculations, there are several systems of units that are available. To simplify matters greatly though, they can be broken into two groups: the MKSA (meter-kilogram-second-ampere) system and the CGS (centimeter-gram-second) system. Another factor to consider is whether the units have been "rationalized" or not. By "rationalized", we mean that the factor 4pi (where pi=3.14159265...) does not appear in what are commonly called "Maxwell's Equations". Rationalization does not eliminate the factor of 4pi, rather it changes where the factor will show up. These days, most engineering work is done with rationalized MKSA units. What is known as the Gaussian system, is an unrationalized CGS system, that is mixed in the sense that electric quantities are measured in "electrostatic" units, while magnetic quantities are measured in "electromagnetic" units. Finally, the Heaviside-Lorentz system is a rationalized Gaussian system. The various CGS systems are used mainly in the area of physics, where certain simplifications in formulas result with the use of CGS units. For additional information, see one of the following sources: Jackson, J.D. "Classical Electrodynamics," 2nd ed., Wiley, 1975. Wangsness, R.K. "Electromagnetic Fields," 2nd ed., Wiley, 1986. Smythe, W.R. Static and Dynamic Electricity, 3rd ed., revised printing" Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, 1989. [2.5] Is there a standard way of writing the various vectors operators for electromagnetics operations? I'd really like to hear people's thoughts on this issue. The next edition of the FAQ will be having equations in it, and it would be nice to incorporate them in a form with which the largest number of people are comfortable. Some questions to consider are, should vector operators be spelled out?, Should only E and H be used to describe Maxwell's equations? What form (units) would be most comfortable to most people. Being an engineer, you know what my vote will be. EM THEORY ISSUES [3.0] What are Maxwell's Equations? Maxwell's Equations can be thought of in many different ways. Mathematically, they represent a set of partial differential equations. Physically, they are a set of equations that describe the relationships between electric and magnetic fields. Historically, they may represent one of the major intellectual achievements in the area of physics. Just a few phrases to start someone off. Looking for a good exposition of what Maxwell's Equations are all about. If we don't get any takers, you'll have to deal with our "purple prose". [3.1] Are Maxwell's Equations good under all circumstances? Under what circumstances are they "invalid"? This is soneone's chance to wax poetic about linearity, high fields and relativity. end of sci.physics.electromag.FAQ part 1/2 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Randy J. Jost Internet: jost@washpost.wdc.sri.com SRI International Phone: 703-247-8415 1611 N. Kent St. FAX: 703-247-8537 Arlington, VA 22209-2111 --------------------------------------------------------------------