Course Syllabus: EM Fields (ECE 5106)

A. Textbooks and References

Textbook:

Jian-Ming Jin,
Theory and Computation of Electromagnet Fields, Wiley, 2010

Reference: J. D. Jackson (not required),

Classical Electrodynamics, 3rd Edition, Wiley.
Note: Jacksons book is a classic reference in EM. But it is quite dense and not everyone
likes it. I do find it very useful. You do not need it in order to take this class. However,
you may find it very useful in your future research.
B. Course Information
Pre- or Co-requisites:
Classroom:
Schedule:
Course CRN:

5105 or equivalent
TORG 1050 (Blacksburg campus)
Monday, 4:00 pm to 6:45 am
12795 (Blacksburg)
19752 (All other locations)

Instructor:
Email:
Campus Phone:
Office:
Office Hour:

Yong Xu
yong@vt.edu
540-231-2464
Whittemore 467
TBD

C. Grading
Homework:
In Class Quiz:
Midterm Exam:
Final Exam:
Project Report:

20%
20%
20%
20%
20%

(Monday, March 21, 2016)

(Friday, May 6, 2016)
(Monday, May 2, 2016)

Homework: I will assign 4-5 sets of homework for this class. Homework will be posted
online. The due date will be given in the assignment (typically one to two weeks after
posting the assignments). Please note that some assignments can be quite complex.
Additionally, some homework problem may require you to solve them numerically using
Matlab.
For student at Blacksburg, submit paper copy for your homework in class. For students at
remote sites, please submit a single pdf file using Dropbox on Scholar.
Please do not turn in your homework late. Unless you have very good reason, late
homework will not be accepted.

In Class Quiz: I will give five to six simple in-class quizzes during this course.
(Therefore, all quizzes will be on Monday.) The lowest quiz score will be dropped. The
rest of the scores will be counted equally. All quizzes will be conducted using Scholar.
The date of the quizzes will be announced in advance. You will need to bring a laptop
with wireless connection to the class in order to take the quiz.
The quizzes will contain multiple choice problems only. Each quiz will take
approximately 10 minutes to complete. Most of the problems will be quite simple and
focus on fundamental concepts only.
All quizzes will be conducted close book. You will not need calculator for the quizzes.
You may bring a single piece of blank paper as scratch paper if you need to draw some
simple illustrations.
Mid-Term Exam: A mid-term exam will be given on Monday, March 21, 2016, in
class and during our regular class hour. (The exam will likely only take 1.5 hour). The
mid-term exam will be close book, close notes. You may need to bring a formula sheet,
which you should prepare on your own, and a calculator.
Project Report: I will ask you to write a Matlab-based finite-difference time-domain
(FDTD) simulation code and use it to solve a relatively simple EM problem. You will
then summarize and discuss your simulation results in a project report. The discussion
should involve comparison with analytical solutions. This project report must be prepared
using a word-processing software such as Microsoft Word or LaTex. The grade for the
project report will be based on the following factors:
Can you write a functional FDTD simulation code?
How well do your simulation results compare with analytical results?
How well is your report written?
The project report will be due on May 2nd, 2016 (Monday). For students at Blacksburg,
you should submit a paper copy in class. For students at all other locations, please submit
a single pdf file through Dropbox on Scholar. (Do not use dropbox.com.) I will not
accept any late submissions.
Final Exam: The final exam will be take home and open book. You are free to consult
any reference books, journal papers, lecture notes, and homework solutions. However,
you must finish your exam independently. You are not allowed to check your results with
your peer. You should prepare answers to the final exam using a word-processing
software such as Microsoft Word, or LaTex. I will not accept any handwritten
answers.
Please note that the final exam may contain numerical problems that requires you to use
Matlab.
The final exam will be due on May 6th, 2016 (Friday). You should submit a single pdf
file through Dropbox on Scholar. I will be traveling right afterwards. So do not ask for
extension. Additionally, I will not accept any late submissions.
Honor Code: It is OK to discuss homework problems with other students. But the
answers must be your own and you cannot copy other peoples work. For reports, you
shall not directly copy any published work without proper citation. For the take home

final exam, you must finish them independently. You CANNOT discuss any take home
exam problems with each other. Any violation will be referred to the honor court.
D. Course Materials and Management
All course materials will be uploaded to the Scholar website, under the Resources
section. I have created multiple file folders for different course materials. For example,
all power point lecture notes will be uploaded under the Lecture Notes section. All
handwritten documents will be scanned into pdf files and posted online. Similarly, all
homework will be posted under the Homework Assignments section. Supporting
materials such as journal papers will be uploaded under References.

E. Course Topics (Tentative)

1. Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method
a) Derivation of the general algorithm
b) Boundary conditions (more advanced materials might be discussed later.)
2. Waveguides and Cavities in Rectangular Coordinates
a) Separation of variable analysis
b) Waveguides in rectangular coordinates (PEC, PMC, and Dielectric)
c) Eigenmodes in rectangular cavities.
3. Cylindrical Waveguides
a) Separation of variable analysis
b) Metallic waveguides (e.g., coaxial cable)
c) Dielectric waveguides (e.g., optical fiber)
4. EM waves in spherical coordinates
a) Multiple expansion of EM waves in spherical coordinates
b) Eigenmodes in spherical cavities.
c) Scattering of EM waves by spheres.
d) Scattering and radiation of EM waves.