Electromagnetic Waves, Second Edition [Hardcover]

Carlo G. Someda (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0849395895 | ISBN-13: 978-0849395895 | Publication Date: January 13, 2006 | Edition: 2

Adapted from a successful and thoroughly field-tested Italian text, the first edition of Electromagnetic Waves was very well received. Its broad, integrated coverage of electromagnetic waves and their applications forms the cornerstone on which the author based this second edition. Working from Maxwell's equations to applications in optical communications and photonics, Electromagnetic Waves, Second Edition forges a link between basic physics and real-life problems in wave propagation and radiation.

Accomplished researcher and educator Carlo G. Someda uses a modern approach to the subject. Unlike other books in the field, it surveys all major areas of electromagnetic waves in a single treatment. The book begins with a detailed treatment of the mathematics of Maxwell's equations. It follows with a discussion of polarization, delves into propagation in various media, devotes four chapters to guided propagation, links the concepts to practical applications, and concludes with radiation, diffraction, coherence, and radiation statistics. This edition features many new and reworked problems, updated references and suggestions for further reading, a completely revised appendix on Bessel functions, and new definitions such as antenna effective height.

Illustrating the concepts with examples in every chapter, Electromagnetic Waves, Second Edition is an ideal introduction for those new to the field as well as a convenient reference for seasoned professionals.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 600 pages
• Publisher: CRC Press; 2 edition (January 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849395895
• ISBN-13: 978-0849395895
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,065,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Electromagnetic Waves for the Scientist, December 3, 1999

By 

George GUEKOS (Zurich, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electromagnetic Waves (Optoelectronics, Imaging and Sensing Series) (Hardcover)

The author, an experienced teacher and researcher in microwaves, lasers and optics, delivers a valuable, clearly written and pleasant to read text that covers all aspects of electromagnetic theory relevant to researchers in the field. The background of the book are university courses taught by Prof. Someda in Italy, but the book is not just a collection of lectures. The author presents a coherent and balanced survey that is enriched with answers to frequently asked questions by students in the field. This has enlarged significantly the volume, and brings it closer to the needs and expectations of modern scientists looking for a solid theoretical treatment of electromagnetism. This treatment addresses common issues in current applications such as in telecommunications, photonics, radar and sensing. The book is well organised, with a structure and an extensive subject index that are helpful in finding the particular part covering the reader's need for information. The first three chapters provide the basic framework of the equations for e.m. fields, of the time-harmonic vector polarisation, discuss some key general theorems, like reciprocity and equivalence theorem, and cover the question of spatial symmetries in cases where the field determination can be simplified. Chapters 4 to 10 refer to the propagation of e.m. waves in regions that contain no sources. A detailed discussion of the homogeneous Helmholtz equation is given, as a means to unify the approaches, based on e.m. potentials, to treat both propagation and radiation problems. Plane waves in isotropic and anisotropic media, wave packets, waves on transmission lines, waveguides with conducting walls, and resonant cavities are the subjects of this part.

The last part, chapters 11 to 14, is devoted to the treatment of electromagnetism in the presence of field sources. Green's function methods are discussed in every detail. Antenna theory is outlined with the help of numerous examples. The topic of diffraction is discussed comprehensively and examples illustrate the theoretical approaches to Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction cases. The last chapter is intended as an introduction to radiation statistics and coherence theory, a bonus to those interested in situations in-between completely deterministic and completely random variables.

The book brings a fresh insight into electromagnetism. Talented university students will extract fast the most practical methods to answer their questions. Physicists on the front of research will find a text suitable to most of their needs that can be a successful tool to address problems in a rapidly evolving and demanding application environment. The examples are wisely chosen but wouldn't it have been better for the book to include also other examples that are closer to engineering problems in order to present practical bridges between theory and application?

Electromagnetic Waves is a valuable addition to the literature. The topics covered in the 600 pages offer more than the general subjects of interest to the modern researcher. They are treated in a clear and concise manner. The writing is enjoyable and demonstrates the author's long experience as a university professor and research team leader. It succeeds in motivating the reader to look further than in basic text books on electromagnetism because it presents the subject from a view that has common grounds in today's many applications of e.m. theory.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice textbook on Electromagnetic Waves, December 23, 1999

By 

Paolo Bassi (Bologna, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electromagnetic Waves (Optoelectronics, Imaging and Sensing Series) (Hardcover)

Maxwell's Equations are like the seven notes: they are always the same, but the music you can play with them changes very much depending on how you combine them. This seems the case also commenting the book of Prof. Carlo G. Someda "Electromagnetic waves".

The topics included in the book range from fundamental theorems to propagation in homogeneous isotropic or anisotropic materials, antenna theory, metallic or dielectric waveguides, diffraction and coherence.

Not many figures are present in the text, to illustrate the concepts or the consequences, and this may be a problem for younger readers, grown up with hypertexts and interactive videogames. However, readers can this way concentrate on a key feature, in my opinion, of the book: the attempt to evidence the differences, and the consequences, of the various models (electromagnetic theory, scalar approach, geometrical optics) used to describe physical phenomena. The generalized use of numerical models available nowadays implies, in fact, the risk of forgetting the simplifying hypothesis they assume, while critical use of these tools is necessary.

In conclusion, the music you can hear, reading this book, sounds good, at least to my ears, and I suggest you listen to it, if you are looking for a basic textbook on electromagnetic theory.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect book: compete and advanced., August 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Electromagnetic Waves (Optoelectronics, Imaging and Sensing Series) (Hardcover)

I studied the italian version of this book when i was undergraduate. This book is complete, and quite advanced. If you like electromagnetism this book is for you !!