Time-Harmonic Electromagnetic Fields by Roger Harrington

[Astronuc]

• Author: Roger Harrington
• Title: Time-Harmonic Electromagnetic Fields (IEEE Press Series on Electromagnetic Wave Theory)
• Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/047120806X/?tag=pfamazon01-20
• Prerequisities: Undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering or Physics, with appropriate background in EM Theory
• Level: Graduate, professional

Table of Contents

1. Fundamental Concepts
2. Introduction to Waves
3. Some Theorems and Concepts
4. Plane Wave Functions
5. Cylindrical Wave Functions
6. Spherical Wave Functions
7. Perturbational and Variational Techniques
8. Microwave Networks

Appendix A: Vector Analysis.
Appendix B: Complex Permittivities.
Appendix C: Fourier Series and Integrals.
Appendix D: Bessel Functions.
Appendix E: Legendre Functions.
Bibliography.
Index.

Time-Harmonic Electromagnetic Fields
A Classic Reissue in the IEEE Press Series on Electromagnetic Wave Theory
Donald G. Dudley, Series Editor

"When I begin a new research project, I clear my desk and put away all texts and reference books. Invariably, Harrington's book is the first book to find its way back to my desk. My copy is so worn that it is falling apart."--Dr. Kendall F. Casey, SRI

"In the opinion of our faculty, there is no other book available that serves as well as Professor Harrington's does as an introduction to advanced electromagnetic theory and to classic solution methods in electromagnetics."--Professor Chalmers M. Butler, Clemson University

First published in 1961, Roger Harrington's Time-Harmonic Electromagnetic Fields is one of the most significant works in electromagnetic theory and applications. Over the past forty years, it proved to be a key resource for students, professors, researchers, and engineers who require a comprehensive, in-depth treatment of the subject. Now, IEEE is reissuing the classic in response to requests from our many members, who found it an invaluable textbook and an enduring reference for practicing engineers.
About the IEEE Press Series on Electromagnetic Wave Theory

The IEEE Press Series on Electromagnetic Wave Theory offers outstanding coverage of the field. It consists of new titles of contemporary interest as well as reissues and revisions of recognized classics by established authors and researchers. The series emphasizes works of long-term archival significance in electromagnetic waves and applications. Designed specifically for graduate students, researchers, and practicing engineers, the series provides affordable volumes that explore and explain electromagnetic waves beyond the undergraduate level.

Published by Wiley: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-047120806X.html


Book recommended by jasonRF

 

[marcusl]

This is a lovely book. It is an advanced and highly technical text on the analysis of real-life E&M engineering systems. It is engineering oriented. You won't find treatment of traditional physics-oriented E&M topics here, such as Kramers-Kronig relations, particle beams, or relativity--see Jackson for those. You will find plenty of waveguides, resonators, microwave networks, propagation and scattering, and antennas.

Topics here are grouped somewhat unconventionally by mathematical technique. Scattering, waveguide and antenna problems are scattered (if you will) throughout multiple chapters depending on their geometry, for instance. It works fine this way, once you get used to it.

Some of Harrington's coverage is particularly good, and hard to find elsewhere. The treatment of reciprocity is deeper than usual, and I have found the rarely treated Rumsey's reaction theorem to be useful. Harrington was, above all else, a computational wizard and his chapter on perturbation and variational methods is excellent. (His book "Field Computation by Moment Methods" is still the go-to reference more than 40 years after it was published.) He also makes frequent use of Green functions.

I had a traditional physics education, using Jackson among other texts. Since starting to work in industry on antennas, communications and radar, and microwave systems, I am more likely to pull down the books by Harrington, Stratton and Collin.

In summary, this is an excellent advanced engineering E&M text. Others can perhaps comment on its suitability for the classroom. I can attest that it is well suited to self-study.

 

[jasonRF]

I strongly agree with marcusl. This really is a nice book to learn applied EM from - I have come across this book only since I have been out of grad school and working in radar, but have found that it is a great book. Chapters 1 and 2 basically review, in a quick manner, undergrad engineering electromagnetics (basics of waves, elementary antennas, guided waves). Chapter 3 is a really nice discussion of many of the basic "theorems" that can be useful for applied EM work - both for exact and approximate solutions of Maxwell's equations. Chapters 4-6 on waves in different coordinate systems (not so unlike the organization of the middle of Stratton's book which predates Harrington) covers guided waves, radiation, and scattering. Both exact and approximate solutions are included. Like marcusl, I really like chapter 7 on approximation techniques. His explanations are very clear and he doesn't get lost in the algebra. I have not really read Chapter 8, so cannot comment on it.

One thing I like about the book is that it isn't nearly as long as Balanis' book (advanced engineering electromagnetics); it is a manageable size while still covering a lot of ground. The book is a little old fashioned, but is by no means out of date. Harrington may be less encyclopedic, but he is also much less tedious and more interesting, in my opinion.

I must agree with marcusl: the books by Harrington and Collin are truly superb for applied EM, with the exception of Harrington's undergrad electromagnetic engineering book which isn't even worth the Dover price in my opinion. Stratton was apparently a physics book of yesteryear, but much of the coverage, at least after the first couple of chapters, fits right in with mainstream engineering electromagnetics these days. I must say that I look at Stratton mainly for fun, though, while Collin (especially is antenna and radiowave propagation book, and foundations for microwave engineering) and Harrington (just this book - I never have built my own moment simulations!) have come in handy at work on multiple occasions.

The prereqs for Harringtons book is upper level undergrad EM, and standard applied math that all physics/engineering students take (vector calculus, differential equations, complex numbers). Complex analysis shows up in a couple of hte problems (if I recall correctly deriving a version of Kramers-Kronig is the subject of one such homework problem ...), but in general you do not need to know it for this book, so it is suitable for many folks with standard undergrad backgrounds.

jason