Gene Fuller wrote:
Help me out. How can we have scalars flowing in opposite directions? If
the waves can interact, as you claim, why does the associated energy
fail to interact and merely pass like ships in the night?

That is the nature of EM waves, Gene. EM waves flowing
in opposite directions do NOT interact. However, their
reflected and transmitted components traveling in the
same direction can and do interact at an impedance
discontinuity.

Let's take the following example using a signal generator
and 50 ohm circulator load. rho1 = s11 = 0.707

100W
SGCL---50 ohm line---+---1/2WL 291.4 ohm line---291.4 ohm load
Vfor1=70.7V-- Vfor2=120.7V--
--Vref1=50V --Vref2=0V

Vref1 is the reflected wave that *originates* traveling toward
the source. Its power gets dissipated in the circulator load
resistor. It *NEVER* travels toward the impedance discontinuity.

Vref1 = 0.707(70.7V) = 50V This is the wave that we have
to cancel when we switch the load to 50 ohms. This wave
gets canceled without ever encountering an impedance
discontinuity.

Would you please explain how a wave that originates traveling
away from the impedance discontinuity ever encounters the
impedance discontinuity?
--
73, Cecil, w5dxp.com