Virtual laboratory for teaching electromagnetism using MATLAB

In this work we present a virtual laboratory for studying the wave propagation proprieties. This virtual lab is used to study the propagation of electromagnetic waves in most environments, in readable and progressive manner. It allows students to apply many equations views in the course. The software uses the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) that has been successfully applied in many engineering fields. In addition, an easy-to-use MATLAB GUI handles all the parameters of the FDTD simulation and computes theoretical values of characteristics parameters of the wave propagation in different mediums. The software allows understanding the phenomena of electromagnetic wave propagation step by step; starting with the case of one dimension to three dimensions, and finally, it allows approaching particular cases like the metamaterials and plasma. Java programming language is used for programming numerical calculations, creating visualization suitable for simulations and offers the possibility to run simulation remotely.