Simulation and visualization: improving our understanding of dipole radiation

Normally, dipole radiation is a topic that is reserved for an upper-division course in electromagnetic fields. The usual treatment consists of perturbation expansions applied to the near zone and far zone. The near zone is dominated by the Coulomb fields which mask the radiation, so this treatment leads to little understanding of how the radiation is actually emitted from the antenna. Using the CAEME software, simulations of an impulsively excited dipole can be produced that lead to a fundamental understanding of the radiation process in a dipole antenna. In the simulation software, the Coulomb fields can be turned off so that the radiated "acceleration" fields may be studied, and animated "QuickTime" movies of the radiation can be produced. The simplicity of the fields aids students in understanding the time-domain features of the radiation process. The simulations have been used in sophomore introductory physics classes and have proven to be effective in teaching dipole radiation.<>