Antennas are part of every radar, every communications system, and every
electronic warfare system. Therefore antennas are an important technical
subject. The number of antenna books that have been published in the
last 5 years alone attest to this fact. But why another book about
antennas? What does this book offer that is different from all the
others? The answer is: accessibility. Most of the technical literature
on antennas is written for those with extensive backgrounds in
electromagnetic theory and familiarity with the mathematical language of
vector analysis, differential equations, and special functions. This
puts much of the antenna literature out of reach for the nonspecialist
who needs to understand the subject but cannot afford the time required
to become familiar with all the background material. With the rapid
expansion of technical knowledge, the number of engi- neering students
who find themselves attracted to "classical" subjects, such as
electromagnetic theory, is on the decline, making it increasingly
difficult to train engineers in areas involving antennas. Some authors
in other technical fields have recognized this problem. For example,
books on solid-state elec- tronic devices that do not require an
extensive background in quantum me- chanics are available, useful, and
informative. This book fulfills a similar Ileed in the area of antennas.