EM waves propagate in space at the speed of light ( 3 109 m/s). X-rays,
visible light, microwave, radio waves, and light are some of the different forms
of electromagnetic waves characterized by wavelength and frequency (Fig. 1.1).
The microwave portion of the spectrum lies in the frequency range 300±300,000
MHz and is therefore a non-ionizing form of electromagnetic energy (Schubert
and Riegel, 2005).
EM waves traveling in space without obstruction approximate the behavior of
plane waves. Electromagnetic waves have an electric (E) field component and a
magnetic (H) field component that oscillate in phase and in directions perpendicular
to each other. The behavior of each quantity in a specified region in space is
described by the wave equations that we will discuss later in this section. For plane
waves, also called transverse electromagnetic (TEM) waves, both E and H
components are in transverse planes (perpendicular) to the traveling direction of the
electromagnetic wave. In mathematical terms, an electromagnetic wave propagates
in the direction of the cross-product of two vectors E H. That is, assuming that the
direction of the propagation of EM waves is in the z direction as illustrated in Fig.
1.2, the x-z plane contains the electric component E with the electric field
components directed towards the x-axis, while the y-z plane contains the magnetic
component H with magnetic field components directed towards the y-axis.
The amplitude of an electromagnetic wave determines the maximum inten-
sity of its field quantities. The amplitude of the electric field (Eo) is measured in
1.1 Electromagnetic