Uniform plane Wave?

Question

I am currently studying Electromagnetic and from the text book, I always see the word Uniform plane Wave. What do they mean?
And I really have difficulty learning this subject, can anyone teach me on how to mange this subject in a better way?
Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

It is often helpful to try to picture electromagnetic concepts in terms of something familiar. For the Uniform plane wave, first think of a laser beam, such as from a laser pointer, which neither focuses nor expands. Now imagine that the diameter of that beam is extremely large. That large diameter laser beam is a good approximation of a uniform plane wave. In the ideal case, the diameter would be infinite.

If you slice through the beam with a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation, the electric field at each point on the plane is the same, all rising and falling together in phase.

Answer 2

Remember that from a point source, the wavefront will be spherical. If the wave origin is a line source, then the wavefront will be cylindrical, and if the wave origin is a plane, then the wavefront will be a plane.

Now, to more practical things... far enough from the source, and for a small enough area, the wavefront even from a point will, for practical purposes, be a plane wave front. Usually, if the phase angle of the wave is within 0.1 wavelengths or so, it can be considered a uniform plane wave.

Teaching electromagnetic theory? Some interesting concepts that need good math skills (Maxwell's Equations) but hang in there, you'll make it if you work at it. It really gets easier as it moves along.

Answer 3

The thing you have to remember is that the planewave in an electromagnetic wave that keeps giving off a certain signal. Like an antena.