Electromagnetic Theory

This is the homepage for the course PH5020 Electromagnetic Theory being taught by me during Spring 2017.

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Assessment

2 Quizzes	$25\times 2$	50
Final	$50\times 1$	50
Total		100

Assignments

There will be several ungraded assignments that will be handed out to the student.

Important Dates

Quiz I: Wed, Feb 15; Quiz II: Wed, Mar 22; End-Sem: Wed, Apr 26

Official Course Content

+ See course content

Electrostatics: Laplace and Poisson equations. Boundary value problems. Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. Method of images. Concept of the Green function and its use in boundary value problems.

Magnetostatics: Ampere's law and Biot-Savart's law. Concept of a vector potential.
Maxwell equations and electromagnetic waves. Maxwell equations (both differential and integral formulations). Boundary conditions on field vectors D, E, B and H.

Electrodynamics: Vector and scalar potentials. Lorentz and Coulomb gauges. Green function for the wave equation. Poynting's theorem. Conservation laws for macroscopic media. Propagation of plane waves and spherical waves in free space, dielectrics and conducting media. Reflection and refraction of electromagnetic waves. Superposition of waves. Radiation from an oscillating dipole and radiation from an accelerating charge. Electromagnetic stress tensor.

Wave Guides: Modes in rectangular and cylindrical wave guides (conducting and dielectric). Resonant cavities. Evanescent waves. Energy dissipation. Q of a cavity.

Textbooks

1. J.D. Jackson, Classical Electrodynamics, Wiley Eastern, 2nd Edition (1975).
2. David J. Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics, Prentice Hall of India, 2nd Edition, (1989).

Course References:

1. J.R. Reitz., F.J. Milford and R. W. Christy, Foundations of Electromagnetic Theory, 3rd Edition, Narosa Pub. House (1979).
2. P. Lorrain and D. Corson, Electromagnetic Fields and Waves. CBS Publishers and Distributors (1986).
3. B.H. Chirgwin, C. Plumpton and C. W. Kilmister, Elementary Electromagnetic Theory, Vols.1, 2 and 3" Pergamon Press (1972).

My notes on selected topics

Notes are provided for the benefit of students and no claim of originality is being made. Suggestions and comments are most welcome.

A formula for the capacitance matrix

Spherical Waves and Vector Spherical Harmonics (I resisted the temptation to get into the group theoretic aspects to make things more accessible!)

Interesting Links and References

The Long Road to Maxwell's Equations || English Translation of Einstein's 1905 paper titled "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" ||

Ted Talk by Uri Alon titled "Why truly innovative science demands a leap into the unknown"

Radiation from an accelerating charge (animation of the radial wave)

Source: http://www.tapir.caltech.edu/~teviet/Waves/field_a.gif