Among the subjects reviewed in these Advances, the properties and computation of electromagnetic fields have been considered on several occasions. In particular, the early work of H.F. Harmuth on Maxwell's equations, which was highly controversial at the time, formed a supplement to the series This volume, unlike previous volumes in the series concentrates solely on the research of professors' Harmuth and Meffert. These studies raise important and fundamental questions concerning some of the basic areas of physics: electromagnetic theory and quantum mechanics. They deserve careful study and reflection for although the authors do not attempt to provide the definitive answer to the questions, their work is undoubtedly a major step towards such an answer. This volume essential reading for those researchers and academics working applied mathematicians or theoretical physics

Author Biography

Peter Hawkes obtained his M.A. and Ph.D (and later, Sc.D.) from the university of Cambridge, whre he subsequently held Fellowships of Peterhouse and of Churchill College. From 1959 - 1975, he worked in the electron microscope section of the Cavendish laboratory in Cambridge, after which he joined the CNRS Laboratory of Electron Optics in Toulouse, of which he was Director in 1987. He was Founder-President of the European Microscopy Society and is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America. He is a member of the editorial boards of several microscopy journals.