Student-led tutorials 5EPB0 ‘EM II’

SLT-B

May 9th 2023

If you have inspiration for an EM-related topic that could be used for an SLT such as, for
instance, a question about the latest aerospace engineering communication protocol, please do
not hesitate to contact us. We cannot promise anything, but we will look into the possibilities
to create a question around your favorite topic.

Philosophy
1. (a) Reflection coefficients of waves traveling along transmission lines were the focus of
the previous lectures of EM2. Can the absolute value of a reflection coefficient |Γ|
exceed 1? If so, could you describe a situation in which this would occur?

(b) What would happen if you would connect a voltage source to a transmission line
that is terminated in an open and disconnect the source directly after? Would you
create a pulse that keeps bouncing up and down the line forever? Or would some-
thing else happen?

(c) If you compare the transmission line model to how circuits was taught, what are
the major differences that you encounter?

Lumped elements
2. The voltage and current along a transmission line can be described through
−∂V ∂I
=L , (1)
∂z ∂t
−∂I ∂V
=C , (2)
∂z ∂t
(a) Use the finite differences method to rewrite these equations into forms that contain
only finite spatial derivatives and partial time derivatives. You now have a descrip-
tion of the voltage and current distributions along a transmission line.

1
 (b) The voltage and current relations can be represented by lumped elements (capac-
itors and inductors). Draw an LC-circuit with the voltages, currents and lumped
elements along a transmission line. You can make use of the sketch below.

i(z; t) i(z + ∆z; t)

(c) How would your LC-circuit change, if you also need to consider losses on the trans-
mission line? Extend your sketch from as well as both equations.
(d) As you can imagine, often transmission lines need to be matched to a real-valued
impedance. A popular method to match a circuit is through creating a stub, see
Figure 1. Explain whether a stub increases the capacitance or the inductance of
your on-chip transmission line.

Figure 1: A stub [1].

Transmission Line
3. Consider the example below with an undefined battery voltage and internal impedance
that have produced the steady state total voltage and current amplitudes, 27 V and 90
mA, respectively.
At t = 0, the switch has been flicked (switched), thus connecting the transmission
line to a 45 V battery. As a consequence, in addition to the alternative steady-state
voltage and current amplitudes, a compensating TEM wave, with voltage amplitude
V1+ (0, t) = Vcomp U (t) at z = 0, starts to propagate along the transmission line towards
the 300 Ω load. (This amounts to a linear superposition of field constituents.)
(a) What is the total voltage amplitude at z = 0 after t = 0?

Page 2
 (b) Determine the compensating voltage amplitude Vcomp by considering an arbitrary
moment in time just after the switch has been activated, but before possible reflec-
tions from the end of the line have returned.

Because the line has not been terminated properly at either end, the compensating
waves that arrive at the terminations will be partially reflected.
(c) Give the reflection coefficients at z = 0 and z = ℓ, denoted as Γ0 and Γℓ respectively.

(d) In principle, this process of successive reflections will go on forever. Thanks to the
finite travel time and the fact that the moduli of the reflection coefficients do not
exceed unity, convergence will occur. Determine the total voltage amplitude at z =
2 m, t = 15 ns.
(hint: construct the bounce diagram first)
(e) Determine the total current amplitude at z = 1 m, t = 25 ns.
(hint: construct the bounce diagram first)

(f) For t → ∞ a new steady-state is reached for the compensating forward and back-
ward compensating propagating waves. Determine the new steady-state voltage
and current amplitudes of these compensating forward and backward propagating
waves.
{ + }
− + −
Vcomp (z, t)|t→∞ , Vcomp (z, t)|t→∞ , Icomp (z, t)|t→∞ , Icomp (z, t)|t→∞

Input Impedance
4. (a) For the circuit in Fig. 2, find the input impedance Zin of the cascaded lossless
transmission line for l2 = 0.25λ, l2 = 0.5λ and l2 = 1.25λ. This can be done by
calculating the equivalent impedance at l1 due to the line length (ℓ2 ) and impedance

Page 3
 of the termination, or in other words we are shifting our reference plane. Take a
look at 3.5.1 and especially formula 3.41c. Calculate the input impedance of the
last transmission line?

Iℓ

Zin
200Ω
Z = 50Ω Z = 100Ω

ℓ = 0.75 λ
z=0 z = ℓ1 z = ℓ2

Figure 2: Transmission Line Cascade.

(b) Calculate the input impedance at z = 0, taking into account the previous answer
of (a)?
(c) For the circuit in Fig. 3 find the input impedance with a parallel capacitor at
ω = π108 rad/s. The capacitor is a lumped element.

Z = 50Ω Z = 50Ω Iℓ

50Ω Zin
200/π pF 50 − 50jΩ
j0
V =e

ℓ = 3.75 m ℓ = 10.5 m
z=0 z = ℓ1 z = ℓ2

Figure 3: Transmission Line with capacitor

Transmission Line 2
5. A 540V battery (voltage source) with internal impedance 150 Ω is connected via a closed
switch to a 3 m long transmission line with characteristic impedance Z = 150 Ω. At t
= 0 a steady state can be assumed.
(a) What is this steady state total voltage amplitude, Vsteady (z, t), and what is the
associated steady state total current amplitude, Isteady (z, t), (anywhere along the

Page 4
 transmission line)?

(b) Despite the stationary nature of the steady state, it may be decomposed into forward
and backward propagating waves. Determine the respective steady-state TEM-wave
±
voltage amplitude Vsteady (z, t) of these forward and backward propagating waves.

±
(c) Determine the associated steady-state TEM-wave current amplitudes Isteady (z, t) of
these forward and backward propagating waves.

(d) Now the switch is closed. This will generate a wave on the transmission line. As-
sume that we have a steady state again. What is this steady state total voltage
amplitude, Vsteady(z; t), and what is the associated steady state total current am-
plitude, Isteady(z; t), (anywhere along the transmission line)?

Transmission lines with a coil and capacitance

Page 5
 c0 = 3 · 108 m/s

I0 Iℓ
t=0
+ +

V0 Vℓ 100 pF

− −

ℓ
z=0 z=ℓ

Figure 4: Transmission Line with capacitor

(a) Explain what will happen after the switch is flicked and sketch the voltage over
time at z = ℓ.

(b) Now the capacitive load is replaced by an inductor. Explain what will happen after
the switch is flicked and sketch the voltage over time at z = ℓ.

c0 = 3 · 108 m/s

I0 Iℓ
t=0
+ +

V0 Vℓ

− −

ℓ
z=0 z=ℓ

Figure 5: Transmission Line with inductor

References
[1] Wikipedia File:Stripline_stub_matching_(v1).svg. Retrieved May 2, 2021.

Page 6