Title :
Teaching of advanced wave-propagation phenomena in open-space problems and waveguide devices using MATLAB GUIs
Author :
Bachiller, C. ; Esteban, H. ; Belenguer, A. ; Morro, J.V. ; Vidal, A. ; Boria, V.E.
Author_Institution :
Departamento de Comunicaciones, Univ. Politecnica de Valencia, Spain
fDate :
4/1/2006 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Interactive graphics and animations are fundamental tools for teaching electromagnetic concepts, especially to explain propagation phenomena. For this reason, the study of these phenomena needs advanced analysis tools. This article presents an accurate and efficient hybrid mode-matching method for the analysis of arbitrarily shaped structures with H-plane obstacles and discontinuities. An open-space spectral method is used to model the electric behavior of the H-plane problem. Next, the open-space modes are matched to guided modes, in order to obtain a multimode scattering-matrix representation of the structure. This new method is used to analyze the propagation in passive complex radio-frequency structures. The results from the analysis are integrated into a MATLAB graphical user interface (GUI), which has been designed to improve the teaching/learning process at the Universidad Politecnica of Valencia in Spain. These GUIs are thoroughly explained in the paper, and the improvements in the teaching/learning process are also discussed.
Keywords :
computer aided instruction; electrical engineering education; graphical user interfaces; mathematics computing; waveguide theory; H-plane obstacles; MATLAB GUI; advanced wave-propagation phenomena teaching; graphical user interface; hybrid mode-matching method; learning process; multimode scattering-matrix representation; open-space problems; open-space spectral method; waveguide devices; Animation; Education; Electromagnetic propagation; Electromagnetic scattering; Electromagnetic waveguides; Graphical user interfaces; Graphics; MATLAB; Mathematical model; Mode matching methods;
Journal_Title :
Antennas and Propagation Magazine, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/MAP.2006.1650847