Historical Perspectives on Microwave Field Theory

Microwave Field Theory furnishes the foundation for all of the microwave circuitry that made possible the great advances achieved by the microwave field. It is important to understand that microwave field theory is only a portion of electromagnetic field theory in general, and to appreciate how it is distinguished from it. In addition, the network formulation of microwave field theory has been fundamental to the rapid progress made by the microwave community; the formulation in network terms has been so intertwined with the development and understanding of the field concepts and behavior that the network formulation should be viewed as an integral part of microwave field theory. The first part of this introduction explains the point of view indicated in the above paragraph. The second part of the introduction outlines the scope of the historical review presented here.