Modern Methods for Electromagnetics Applications

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Building from standard electromagnetic field theory and wave equations, this course will present advanced methods in electromagnetics (EM) for modern applications in wireless communications, sensing, and design. Throughout the semester, each conceptual module has a lecture component and a corresponding numerical application project so that by the end of the semester students will have produced a toolbox of advanced analysis and design methods in EM. The course begins with a basic review of EM fields and wave equations and culminates in the development of a finite-difference numerical code for solving such equations. Then boundary conditions and single/multilayer wave propagation is examined via the Fresnel coefficients. This theory, along with periodic boundary conditions (Floquet ports) are used to characterize metasurfaces and represent with equivalent circuit models and surface susceptibility tensors. Constitutive field relations and frequency-dependent material models will be discussed and applied to metamaterials where students will implement the Nicholson-Ross-Weir method to extract material parameters of negative permittivity/permeability unit-cells. Aperture antennas including reflectors and lenses will be analyzed with the high-frequency methods including geometrical optics and finally, wave propagation including basic diffraction phenomena will be studied and applied to channel modeling for wireless communications coverage.