Unifying electromagnetic and communication theories: A proposal for a new research program

The present paper will address the important but neglected aspect of the interrelationship between electromagnetic theory and communication systems. We propose a research program based on careful reconsideration of how the concepts `information', `energy', and `system' can be fruitfully generalized beyond their original matrix of use within the traditional domain of time-dependent signal analysis. Based on recent theoretical advances in the areas of near-field dynamics and electromagnetic system-theoretic methods, we outline the new approach based on first developing an electromagnetic information theory, then using the concept of information buried within the spatial structure of the field to elaborate a calculus that can be systematically deployed in order to study and develop general electromagnetic systems simultaneously in both space and time.