Traveling Waves and Power Waves: Building a Solid Foundation for Microwave Circuit Theory

Microwave equivalent-circuit theory is like a grand old building: elegant, carefully crafted, passed from generation to generation, and rooted in history. Traveling waves, the measureable electromagnetic field solutions of Maxwell?s equations in a transmission line, form the foundation of the theory. You must descend into the basement to see them; not many people do so. It is in this ?basement? that I have had the privilege of working on the foundations of the microwave circuit theory with Roger Marks, Bradley Alpert, and others. Together, we explored the underpinnings of the theory and worked toward building a better understanding of microwave equivalent-circuit theory and how it can be applied to the lossy printed transmission lines ubiquitous in modern microwave electronics.