Page 146 - Semiconductor For Micro- and Nanotechnology An Introduction For Engineers

Chapter 4 The

Electromagnetic

System

Electrodynamics has had an unprecedented technological impact on our
everyday lives. The phenomena that collectively belong to the field span
many orders of magnitude, and include long wavelength radio signals,
millimeter wavelength microwaves at airfields and in the kitchen, light all
the way between infrared, visible and ultraviolet wavelengths, and higher
still all the way to harmful ionizing radiation. As long as we consider the
free propagation of electromagnetic waves, one theory covers it all—a
remarkable discovery.

James Clarke Maxwell (1831–1879) culminated the search for a unified
electromagnetic theory that could explain all the effects of “electricity” in
one formalism. In truth, Maxwell’s formalism was correct but cumber-
some. Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925), a pioneer in his field, a great
admirer of Maxwell and a champion of the use of vectors, first formu-
lated the electrodynamic equations as we know them now. In parallel,
Heinrich Herz (1857–1894) did the same, and for a brief period in history
the one or the other name was associated with the equations. It was only

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