EMG2016

ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY
UNIFORM PLANE WAVES
Learning Outcomes
Outline
Plane Wave Propagation
Time Harmonic Fields
Wave Equations
Plane wave propagation in lossless media
Polarization of Waves
Plane wave propagation in lossy media
Electromagnetic Power density

Plane wave propagation
- a time-varying electric field E(t) produces a magnetic field
H(t)and, conversely, a timevarying magnetic field
produces an electric field.
- This cyclic pattern generates electromagnetic (EM) waves
capable of propagating through free space and in material
media.
- When its propagation is guided by a material structure, the
EM wave is said to be traveling in a guided medium (e.g.
a transmission line).
- EM waves also can travel in unbounded media. (e.g. light
waves emitted by the sun and radio transmissions by
antennas).
For a transmission-line circuit, we can model wave
propagation on such a transmission line either in terms of
the voltages across the line and the currents through its
conductors or in terms of the electric and magnetic fields in
the dielectric medium between the conductors (bounded
case).

In this chapter we focus our attention on wave propagation
in unbounded media that can be categorized into two
classes lossless & lossy
The medium are assumed to be homogeneous &
isotropic
- When energy is
emitted by a
source, such as an
antenna, it
expands outwardly
from the source in
the form of
spherical waves.
Plane Wave
To an observer very far way from the source, the
wavefront of the spherical wave appears
approximately planar, as if it were part of a
uniform plane wave with uniform properties at all
points in the plane tangent to the wavefront

To analyse the unbounded EM wave, Maxwells
equations are used


MAXWELL EQUATIONS
V . D =
v

V E = -cB/ct
V . B = 0
V H = J + cD/ct

where E = electric field intensity D = electric flux density
H = magnetic field intensity B = magnetic flux density

v
= electric charge volume density
J = conduction current density


Time-Harmonic Fields
D, E, B, H, J and
v
depend on spatial coordinates (x,y,z)
and the time variable, t.
If their time variation is sinusoidal with angular frequency
, then these quantities can be represented by a phasor
that depends on (x,y,z) only.
Why phasor form?

For a linear, isotropic, and homogeneous medium, the
Maxwells Equations in phasor form is given as:









For time-harmonic quantities, differentiation in time
domain corresponds to multiplication by j in phasor
domain.
/
v
c V- = E
je V = E H
0 V- = H
jec V = + H J E
Converted using
( )
( , , , ) ( , , )
j t
x y z t e x y z e
e
= 9 E E
jec V = + H J E
( )
j j -j
o
o ec e c
e
| |
V = + =
|
\ .
H E E
By introducing the complex permittivity c
c
which is
defined as
c
c
= (c - jo /e)
c
c
= (c - jo/e) = c- j c
with
c' = c, and c = o /e

For a lossless medium (o = 0), it follows that c = 0 and c
c

= c' = c.
0 V- = E
-je V = E H
0 V- = H
c
jec V = H E
( ) ( ) H j E
~ ~
V = V V e
( ) ( ) E E j j E
c c
~ ~ ~
2
c e ec e = = V V
( ) ( ) E E E
~ ~ ~
2
V - V V = V V

To the derive the wave equation from Maxwell
equation, we do a curl operation on both sides of the
second and fourth Maxwells equations
Wave Equations
2 2
- 0 V = E E
2 2
- 0 V = H H
nonconducting medium (o 0)
wave does not suffer any attenuation as it travels through
the medium. Since c
c
= c,


2
= - e
2
c.

for lossless media, the wavenumber k defined by

2
= - k
2

Wave equation becomes
c e = k
0
~
E
~
2 2
= + V E k
Plane Wave Propagation in
Lossless media (o 0)
THE WAVE EQUATIONS FOR
LOSSLESS MEDIUM
0
~ ~
2
2
= + V E E c e
0
~ ~
2
2
= + V H H c e
Homogeneous Vector Helmhotzs equations
0
~
E
~
2 2
= + V E k
c e = k Since
therefore,

a plane wave has no electric-or magnetic-field components along its
direction of propagation

Wave equation:




For the phasor quantity
x
, the general solution of the ordinary
differential equation of the wave equation is
0
~
E
~
z
= =
z
H
jkz
xo
jkz
xo x x x
e E e E z E z E E
+ +
+ = + = ) (
~
) (
~ ~
Uniform Plane Wave
A uniform plane wave is characterized by electric and magnetic
fields that have uniform properties at all points across an infinite
plane and if this is the x-y plane so E and H do not vary with x
and y
0
~
~
2
2
2
= +
x
x
E k
dz
E d
(x component of E)
Assume that E has only a component in x and that
x
consists of a
wave travelling in the +z direction
( ) ( )
jkz
x xo
z E z E e
+ +
= = E x x
( )


0 0
x y z
x
j H H H
x y z
E
e
+
c c c
V = = + +
c c c
x y z
E x y z
0
~
1 ~
~
1 ~
0
~
=
c
c

=
c
c

=
=
+
+
y
E
j
H
z
E
j
H
H
x
z
x
y
x
e
e
jkz
yo
jkz
xo y
e H e E
k
z H
+ +
= =
~ ~
) (
~
e
yo xo
k
H E
e
+ +
=

- I ntrinsic impedance, q, of a lossless medium is defined as

c

c e
e e
q = = =
k
We can summarize our results as







The electric and magnetic fields are perpendicular to each other, and
both are perpendicular to the direction of wave travel. These
directional properties characterize a transverse electromagnetic
(TEM) wave
jkz
xo
e E x z
+ +
= = ) ( E
~
x (z) E
~
x
( )
jkz
xo
e E y z
+ +
= = q q / / ) ( E
~
y (z) H
~
x
TEM Wave [1]
[1] http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc137.htm
E(z,t) and H (z,t) are in-phase
Phase velocity



wavelength
1
p
u
k
e e
e c c
= = =
2
p
u
k f
t
= =
In lossless dielectric:
ec o <<
thus
r r
c c c o
0 0
, , 0 = = ~
then
0, k o | e c = = =
c
|
e 1
= = u
Z = 0
c

q
Plane waves in free space:
0 0
, , 0 c c o = = =
k
c
e
| e c = = =
1
p
u c
c
= = O ~ = = 377 120
0
0
t
c

q
then
0

( , ) cos( ) z t E t kz e = E x
0
0

( , ) cos( )
E
z t t kz e
q
= H y
Exercise 1
General Relation between E and H
It can be shown that, for any uniform plane wave traveling
in an arbitrary direction denoted by the unit vector , the
magnetic field phasor is interrelated to the electric field
phasor by





Right hand rule applies: when we rotate the four fingers of
the right hand from the direction of E toward that of H, the
thumb points in the direction of wave travel,

( )

1/q = H k E

-q = E k H
(7.39a)

k
E
H
k

The wave may be considered the sum of two waves, one with (E
+
x
,H
+
y
)
components and another with (E
+
y
, H
+
x
) components.
















In general, a TEM wave may have an electric field in any direction in the
plane orthogonal to the direction of wave travel, and the associated magnetic
field is also in the same plane and its direction is dictated by Eq.(7.39a,
Ulaby).
Exercise 2
POLARIZATION OF PLANE WAVES
E
E
y

E
x

( ) ( )
cos cos
x y
a t kz a t kz e e o = + + E x y
The polarization of a uniform plane wave describes the locus traced by
the tip of the E vector (in the plane orthogonal to the direction of
propagation) at a given point in space as a function of time


SENSE OF POLARIZATION
Linear
circular elliptical elliptical
Answer:
To examine wave propagation in a conducting medium we
return to the wave equation

with

2
= -e
2
c
c
= -e
2
(c' - jc)

where c' = c and c = o/e. Since is complex, we express it
as
= o + j|,

where o is the attenuation constant of the medium and | is
its phase constant.
2 2
E 0 E V =
Plane Wave Propagation in
Lossy media (o 0)
By replacing with (o + j|), we have

(o + j|)
2
= (o
2
- |
2
) + j2o|
= -e
2
c' + je
2
c.
Hence,
o
2
- |
2
= -e
2
c',
2o| = e
2
c.
Solving these two equations for o and | gives

2 / 1
2
1
'
"
1
2
'

(
(

|
.
|

\
|
+ =
c
c c
e o
2 / 1
2
1
'
"
1
2
'

(
(

+
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
c
c c
e |
or
2 / 1
2
1 1
2

)

(
(

|
.
|

\
|
+ =
ec
o c
e o
2 / 1
2
1 1
2

)

(
(

+
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
ec
o c
e |

z
Assuming that the wave propagates along direction
and E
~
has only an x-component
x

( ) E E z = x
0
~
) - (
2 2
= V E
Substitute into
yields solution
' z
0 0
( )
z
x x x
E z E e E e

= +
Inserting the time factor

( , ) Re[ ( ) ]
j t
x
z t E z e
e
= E x
( )
0

Re[ ]
z j t z
E e e
o e |
= x

0

( , ) cos( )
z
z t E e t z
o
e |

= E x
For magnetic field,
( )
0

( , ) Re[ ]
z j t z
z t H e e
o e |
= H y
where
0
0

c
E
H
q
= y
n
j
| | | |e c
c n c
j
j
u
e
q q u q
o ec
= = Z =
+
and
intrinsic impedance
thus

0

( , ) cos( )
| |
z
c
E
z t e t z
o
q
e | u
q

= H y
q
c
= intrinsic impedance for lossy medium
o= attenuation constant(factor)
| = phase constant
q
u
= phase angle of the intrinsic impedance for lossy medium
4 / 1
2
1
/
| |
(
(

|
.
|

\
|
+
=
ec
o
c
qc
ec
o
u
q
= 2 tan
E(z,t) & H(z,t) not in-phase
Magnitude of E
x
(z) decrease exponentially.

The attenuation process converts part of the energy carried
by the electromagnetic wave into heat as a result of
conduction in the medium.
the skin depth o
s
of the medium is the value of z at which
|E
x
(z)|/|E
x0
|=e
-1
,
o
s
= 1/o (m)
Skin depth
The skin depth o
s
characterizes how well an
electromagnetic wave can penetrate into a conducting
medium.

In a perfect dielectric, o = 0;hence, o = 0 and therefore o
s

= . Thus, in free space, a plane wave can propagate with
no loss in magnitude indefinitely.

On the other extreme, if the medium is a perfect
conductor leads to o = and hence o
s
=0.
For a lossy medium, the ratio c/c' = o/ec appears in
all these expressions and plays an important role in
determining how lossy a medium is.

- When c/c'<< 1, the medium is called a low-loss
dielectric. (c/c'<10
-2
)

- when c/c'>>1, the medium is characterized as a
good conductor. (c/c'>10
2
)

Low-Loss Dielectric
The general expression for is given by







c
o
c
ec
o
2 ' 2
"
= ~
c e c e | = ~ '
c

q ~
c
ec o >>
thus
then
In good conductors:
r
c c o
0 0
, , = = ~
o t
eo
| o f = = =
2
2
p
u
e e
| o
= =
45
c
e
q
o
= Z
( )
1 (1 )
c
j f
j j
e t o
q
o o o
~ = + = +

0

( , ) cos( )
z
z t E e t z
o
e |

= E x
thus

0

( , ) cos( 45 )
z
E
z t e t z
o
e |
e
o

= H y
-
Electromagnetic Power Density

The Poynting vector S is defined as

represents the power density (power per unit area) carried
by the wave. Its direction is along the propagation direction of
the wave


The instantaneous Poynting vector or power density vector is
given by



n
a

H E

= P
P

| | | |
t j t j
e t z H e t z E e
t z H t z E t z
e e
) , (
~
) , (
~
) , ( ) , ( ) , (
9 =
=

P
The total power that flows through or is intercepted by
the aperture is
(W)
S d .

}
=
S
ave
P
ave
P
In practice, the quantity of greater interest is the average
power density of the wave, P
ave
, which is the time-
averaged value of



where and are in phasor form

E
~
H
~
]
~ ~
Re[ ) 2 / 1 (
*
ave
H E = P

ave
P

A plane wave is propagating in the +z direction in a lossy

medium



For a lossless medium




The attenuation rate represents the rate of decrease of the
magnitude of P
ave
(z) as a function of propagation distance

A= 10 log
10
[P
ave
(z)/P
ave
(0) ] = -8.68 z (dB)
) cos(
2

2
2
ave n
z o
e
E
z u
q
o
= P

q q 2

2 2
ave
E
z
E
z
c
o
= = P

Decibel Scale for power ratios

G = P1 / P2

G(dB) = 10 log(G) = 10 log(P1/P2) (dB)



For voltage or current ratio, it can be written as

G(dB) = 20 log(V1/V2) (dB)