Electromagnetic Theory

graduate course

Course Description

This is a one-semester graduate course on electromagnetic theory. Chapters 1 and 2 provide a concise review of fundamental concepts, along with selected advanced topics such as the plane wave expansion (PWE). Chapters 3 and 4 focus on more advanced material, including the derivation of radiation fields using vector potentials, the development of the Stratton-Chu formulation, and canonical electromagnetic scattering problems. Chapter 5 introduces special relativity and relativistic electrodynamics. Mathematical tools are introduced as needed throughout the course.

Course Material

The course slides are divided into five units:

  • Chapter 1: Maxwell Equations (Slides)
  • Chapter 2: Wave Propagation and Transmission (Slides)
  • Chapter 3: Electromagnetic Radiation (Slides)
  • Chapter 4: Electromagnetic Scattering (Slides)
  • Chapter 5: Special Relativity and Relativistic Electrodynamics (Slides)

References

The primary reference for this course is:

• J. W. Liu, Lectures on Electromagnetic Theory, NTU Press, 2026. (Errata)

The following references are highly recommended:

  1. Harrington provides a concise and rigorous treatment of electromagnetic theory. It is strongly recommended, though some notational conventions differ from modern usage.
  2. Balanis offers a comprehensive and detailed reference. It can feel overwhelming and tedious at times, but remains one of the most reliable all-around sources.
  3. Barkeshli is a compact and elegant text; parts of these lecture notes closely follow his clear derivations.
  4. Ishimaru, especially the second edition, gives broad coverage of wave propagation and scattering. However, it contains several typos—consulting the first edition for comparison is often helpful.
  5. Pathak and Burkholder present more advanced topics; the text serves as an excellent complement to the foundational material above.

[1] R. F. Harrington, Time-Harmonic Electromagnetic Fields, McGraw-Hill, 1961.
[2] C. A. Balanis, Advanced Engineering Electromagnetics, 2nd ed., Wiley, 2012.
[3] K. Barkeshli, Advanced Electromagnetics and Scattering Theory, Springer, 2015.
[4] A. Ishimaru, Electromagnetic Wave Propagation, Radiation and Scattering, 2nd ed., Wiley, 2017.
[5] P. H. Pathak and R. J. Burkholder, Electromagnetic Radiation, Scattering, and Diffraction, Wiley, 2021.