Open AccessPedagogical tool to teach electromagnetic plane wave propagation in various media environments
Author(s) -
Anqi Li,
Chengyou Yin,
Yongji Gan,
Qianqian Zhang,
Wei Wu
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
european journal of physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1361-6404
pISSN - 0143-0807
DOI - 10.1088/1361-6404/abf89d
Subject(s) - finite difference time domain method , physics , electromagnetic field , electromagnetic radiation , process (computing) , field (mathematics) , matlab , maxwell's equations , domain (mathematical analysis) , wave propagation , software , plane (geometry) , plane wave , computer science , optics , classical mechanics , mathematical analysis , geometry , quantum mechanics , programming language , mathematics , pure mathematics
In the usual process of teaching students about the electromagnetic field, students often have difficulty in understanding the propagation process of invisible electromagnetic waves under different medium environments. To facilitate students understanding and learning of related knowledge, in this article, we first derive the process of solving Maxwell’s equation using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) under different media environments for the designed experimental models to obtain the spatial distribution of the electromagnetic field. After that, we use the MATLAB language to program the FDTD solution method to verify our theoretical analysis based on the simulation results. Based on this, we develop a convenient and quick interactive mobile software tool, aiming to give students a vivid and intuitive demonstration and explanation for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in different media environments.