The Classical Electromagnetic Field

This excellent text covers a year's course. Topics include vectors D and H inside matter, conservation laws for energy, momentum, invariance, form invariance, covariance in special relativity, and more.

Newly corrected, this highly acclaimed text is suitable foradvanced physics courses. The authors present a very accessiblemacroscopic view of classical electromagnetics thatemphasizes integrating electromagnetic theory with physicaloptics. The survey follows the historical development ofphysics, culminating in the use of four-vector relativity tofully integrate electricity with magnetism.Corrected and emended reprint of the Brooks/Cole ThomsonLearning, 1994, third edition.

The study of classical electromagnetic fields is an adventure. The theory is complete mathematically and we are able to present it as an example of classical Newtonian experimental and mathematical philosophy. There is a set of foundational experiments, on which most of the theory is constructed. And then there is the bold theoretical proposal of a field-field interaction from James Clerk Maxwell. This textbook presents the theory of classical fields as a mathematical structure based solidly on laboratory experiments. Here the student is introduced to the beauty of classical field theory as a gem of theoretical physics. To keep the discussion fluid, the history is placed in a beginning chapter and some of the mathematical proofs in the appendices. Chapters on Green’s Functions and Laplace’s Equation and a discussion of Faraday’s Experiment further deepen the understanding. The chapter on Einstein’s relativity is an integral necessity to the text. Finally, chapters on particle motion and waves in a dispersive medium complete the picture. High quality diagrams and detailed end-of-chapter questions enhance the learning experience.

This newly corrected, highly acclaimed text offers intermediate-level juniors and first-year graduate students of physics a rigorous treatment of classical electromagnetics. The authors present a very accessible macroscopic view of classical electromagnetics that emphasizes integrating electromagnetic theory with physical optics. The survey follows the historical development of physics, culminating in the use of four-vector relativity to fully integrate electricity with magnetism. Starting with a brief review of static electricity and magnetism, the treatment advances to examinations of multipole fields, the equations of Laplace and Poisson, dynamic electromagnetism, electromagnetic waves, reflection and refraction, and waveguides. Subsequent chapters explore retarded potentials and fields and radiation by charged particles; antennas; classical electron theory; interference and coherence; scalar diffraction theory and the Fraunhofer limit; Fresnel diffraction and the transition to geometrical optics; and relativistic electrodynamics. A basic knowledge of vector calculus and Fourier analysis is assumed, and several helpful appendices supplement the text. An extensive Solutions Manual is also available.

The study of classical electromagnetic fields is an adventure. The theory is complete mathematically and we are able to present it as an example of classical Newtonian experimental and mathematical philosophy. There is a set of foundational experiments, on which most of the theory is constructed. And then there is the bold theoretical proposal of a field-field interaction from James Clerk Maxwell. This textbook presents the theory of classical fields as a mathematical structure based solidly on laboratory experiments. Here the student is introduced to the beauty of classical field theory as a gem of theoretical physics. To keep the discussion fluid, the history is placed in a beginning chapter and some of the mathematical proofs in the appendices. Chapters on Green’s Functions and Laplace’s Equation and a discussion of Faraday’s Experiment further deepen the understanding. The chapter on Einstein’s relativity is an integral necessity to the text. Finally, chapters on particle motion and waves in a dispersive medium complete the picture. High quality diagrams and detailed end-of-chapter questions enhance the learning experience.

This book provides a thorough description of classical electromagnetic radiation, starting from Maxwell's equations, and moving on to show how fundamental concepts are applied in a wide variety of examples from areas such as classical optics, antenna analysis, and electromagnetic scattering. Throughout, the author interweaves theoretical and experimental results to help give insight into the physical and historical foundations of the subject. A key feature of the book is that pulsed and time-harmonic signals are presented on an equal footing. Mathematical and physical explanations are enhanced by a wealth of illustrations (over 300), and the book includes more than 140 problems. It can be used as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in electrical engineering and physics, and will also be of interest to scientists and engineers working in applied electromagnetics. A solutions manual is available on request for lecturers adopting the text.

Classical Electromagnetic Radiation, Second Edition focuses on the classical electrodynamics with emphasis on radiation problems and the wave attributes of the electromagnetic field. This book aims to provide a modern and practically sophisticated mathematical treatment of classical electrodynamics at the undergraduate level. Organized into 13 chapters, this edition starts with an overview of the basic principles of electromagnetism. This text then presents a detailed discussion of Laplace's equation and a treatment of multiple effects, since such material is of considerable significance in the development of radiation theory. Other chapters consider the electromagnetic field equations, which are developed in the time-dependent form. This book discusses as well the subjects of wave propagation in space as well as in material media. The final chapter presents an introduction to relativistic electrodynamics. This book is a valuable resource for physicists, engineers, and readers who are interested in the applications of electrodynamics in modern physics.

"This is a concise, beginning graduate-level textbook on classical electromagnetism, the branch of physics that describes the interaction of electric currents or fields and magnetic fields. Electromagnetism (also called electrodynamics) is one of the pillars of modern physics and, as such, of the modern physics curriculum, with courses on electromagnetism required at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These courses traditionally proceed in a quasi-historical fashion, starting from equations and laws that were first formulated in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and still form the foundations of our understanding of electromagnetism. However, as Robert Wald argues, teaching in this way can be imprecise and tends to promote outdated ways of thinking about the subject. This book rethinks how electromagnetism is presented at the graduate level, offering a corrective that aims to bring teaching up to date with our more modern understanding of the topic. The book begins by debunking four common misconceptions, or "myths," that can hinder a deep conceptual understanding of electromagnetism. Wald then proceeds through the major topics first-year grad courses (and textbooks) in electromagnetism typically cover, including electrostatics, dielectrics, magnetostatics, electrodynamics, geometric optics, special relativity, gauge theory, and point charge. Wald's aim throughout is to explain to students how to think about electromagnetism from a modern and mathematically precise perspective, formulating all the key conceptual ideas and results in the field clearly and concisely, while forgoing extensive collections of examples and applications. The book could be used as the basis for or as a supplement to a course, or for self-study by students seeking a deeper understanding than traditional courses and books offer"--