Advanced Electrodynamics of Complex Media
Graduate-level course on advanced topics in applied electrodynamics, metamaterials, and nanophotonics. The flow of electromagnetic waves can be controlled and molded with engineered (meta)materials and wave-guiding structures, for applications ranging from radio frequencies to visible light, and from large antenna/radar systems to nanoscale optics. Topics include the optical/electromagnetic properties of materials; conservation laws and theorems; causality and Kramers-Kronig relations; wave propagation in complex continuous media (anisotropic, dissipative, dispersive, chiral, nonlocal, nonreciprocal, hyperbolic, etc.) and periodic structures; coupled-mode theory in space and time; mode degeneracies and singularities; geometric phase and topology in wave physics. The course also introduces several topics at the forefront of applied research in this field, including nonreciprocal devices, super-resolution imaging, non-Hermitian physics, topological and time-varying photonics.
Topics
- Demonstrate a fundamental understanding of the electromagnetic and optical properties of complex materials and metamaterials, as well as of the limitations and constraints stemming from causality, linearity, reciprocity, and passivity.
- Be able to model, calculate, and analyze the propagation properties of electromagnetic waves in complex media, such as anisotropic, hyperbolic, and chiral materials, magnetized plasmas and ferrites, and periodic structures.
- Be able to compare different approaches and choose the best design strategy to engineer the flow of electromagnetic waves, including for field confinement and enhancement, polarization rotation, energy transfer between coupled localized/guided modes, and unidirectional/nonreciprocal propagation.
Official roster learning outcomes
Prerequisites & course information
background equivalent to: ECE 3030 or AEP 3560.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027