Transmission Lines

Abstract

So far most discussion of electromagnetic waves was in a medium of infinite extent, or two semi-infinite media adjoined to each other. By solving the differential wave equation we saw that the electromagnetic waves take the form of a uniform plane wave in such media. The uniform plane wave is an unbounded and unguided wave in the sense that the electric field exists in all space and the electromagnetic energy spreads over the whole space. While an unbounded and unguided wave may be useful for broadcasting radio and TV signals, it is inefficient when used for point-to-point transmission of electromagnetic power or information.