The receiving and transmitting properties of small linear antennas, conical antennas, and loops for transient electromagnetic fields were investigated experimentally. Short electrical dipoles loaded by a capacitance represented by a cathode follower can be used successfully for the measurement of transient fields with rise times of less than 1 nanosecond, if the first antenna resonance is suppressed by a series resistor at the base of the antenna. The currents induced on nonresonant structures by transient electromagnetic fields are investigated and their application to a direct measurement of the time sequence of the electromagnetic field is discussed. Signals with a simple and known time dependence such as a unidirectional pulse can be radiated into space if the reflection of current waves at discontinuities of the antenna structure is avoided. In a manner similar to that useful for the absorption of continuous waves in media with a stratified conductivity, it is shown that reflections at discontinuities can be avoided by dipoles with tapered resistive loading. (Author).

This book is an original study aimed at understanding how vacuum magnetic fields change with time. Specifically, it describes the waves that radiate from a sphere when the electric current on its surface is turned on or off, either suddenly, gradually, or periodically. Numerical simulations are an invaluable source of information about this and related subjects, but they are often more difficult to interpret than exact, closed-form solutions that can easily be applied to a variety of situations. Thus, the objective here is to obtain an exact solution of Maxwell’s equations in closed form—something simple, yet rigorous, which can be used as a model for understanding transient magnetic fields in more complicated situations. The work therefore stands as a self-contained solution of Maxwell’s equations for an electric current wrapped around the surface of a sphere. This study assumes a strong background in electromagnetism or a related research area. Online animations are available for each figure to better illustrate the motions of magnetic field lines.