Electromagnetics and Optics

Prof. Joel Johnson, Chair

Electromagnetics is fundamental to all physics-based electrical engineering, such as antennas and propagation, photonics, solid state electronics and power systems. Antennas and optical devices are a central component in any wireless communication, radar or remote sensing system. For example, in addition to AM-FM radio and cellular antennas, future automobiles are predicted to have radar antennas for use with an automated highway system, tracking antennas for use with the Global Positioning System (GPS), communication antennas to receive information about road conditions, etc. A growing area of electromagnetics is electromagnetic compatibility, which involves the design of electronic equipment so that it neither produces, nor is it sensitive to, electromagnetic radiation. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines involve an antenna which must produce a very uniform magnetic field so as not to distort the image. Modern systems generally require antennas which are smaller and less expensive, and yet are able to perform multifuctions in different frequency bands.

Students wishing more information should contact any of the faculty in the area: Profs. Anderson, Johnson, R. Lee, J-F. Lee, Newman, Pathak, Reano, Rojas-Teran, Roblin, Teixeira, and Volakis.