Radio Science Bulletin 313 - June 2005 - URSI

Guest Editors’ RemarksOn February 6, 2005, Dr. Carl Edward Baumcelebrated his 65th birthday. To commemorate this occasion,the March and June, 2005, issues of the URSI Radio ScienceBulletin are dedicated with special sections in honor of thisoutstanding scientist and engineer for his unique personalityand his excellent scientific achievements in the field ofelectrical engineering. Some of his friends, former andpresent colleagues, and collaborators chose the publicationof these two special issues to express their affection, highesteem, kudos, gratitude, and pleasure to their partner andfriend. In particular, the two guest Editors have had a close,amicable, long-term, scientific collaboration with Dr. Baum.We hope that you, the reader, will derive as much pleasureand scientific benefit from reading the papers as thecontributing authors had preparing their interesting andvaluable contributions. Further, we want to inform thereader that although the figures in the printed version of theMarch and June issues will appear with figures in black andwhite, color versions are also available in the downloadablefiles on the URSI Web site (http://www.ursi.org).Since the first of the dedicated papers in the Marchissue dealt with Dr. Baum’s remarkable career, we restrictourselves here to mentioning selected characteristicproperties of his personality. On viewing his long list ofoutstanding technical achievements and musicalcompositions, one naturally expects an individual whopossesses highly focused, goal-oriented, scientific,managerial, and organizational qualities. The numeroushonors and awards recognizing Dr. Baum attest to the factthat he excels in these qualities. With an extraordinarydedication to his profession and through the sheer force ofhis personality, he has promulgated and expounded hisscience with an almost evangelic fervor in many countries.In addition to significant contributions to generalelectromagnetic problems, his name stands out within thenuclear electromagnetics (NEM) community. In particular,NEMP simulators, which are located all over the world, arecalculated, designed, and constructed on the advice of CarlBaum. Even former adversaries – now friends – respectfullyacknowledge his contributions to EMP simulators andrelated topics. In recent times, Dr. Baum’s efforts haveconcentrated on the invention and improvement of ultrawidebandtechnologies and their deployment in the field.He developed electromagnetic models for the transientradiation of impulse radiating antennas as well as theirapplication. Beside his own outstanding scientific work, heinitiated the development and investigation of ultrawidebandsystems, particular antennas, impulse-formingdevices, and signal-processing methods.While Dr. Baum dedicates much of his time to technicalendeavors, he has an avocation that deserves mention. Notonly is he an accomplished pianist and trombone player, buthe also is an outstanding composer of classical and religiousmusic. For decades, he conducted a religious choir andcomposed numerous hymns. Symphonic groups in the USand Europe have played his compositions, and a number ofCDs of his music have been recorded. His mathematicalinsight, which is so useful for his EM research, is alsoapparent in the highly complex structure and rich content ofhis music.The authors, Editors, colleagues, and friends dedicatethe subsequent two issues of the URSI RSB to Carl EdwardBaum on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday. We wishhim health, enduring creative power, and success in thecoming years, and hope that our modest tribute to thisextraordinary, distinguished scientist conveys our deepgratitude, affection, and admiration.Jiirgen NitschFrank SabathJiirgen Nitsch is with the Institrite of Fundamental ElectricalEngineering and EMC, Otto-von-Guericke-University,Universitiitsplatz 1, D-39106 Magdeburg, Germany;Tel: +49 (391) 671-8387; Fax: +49 (391) 671-1236;E-mail: juergen.nitsch@et.uni-magdeburg.deFrank Sabath is with the Electromagnetic EffectsBranch of the Federal Armed Forces ResearchInstitute for Protective Technologies, Humboldtstrasse 1,D-29633 Munster, Germany; Tel: +49 (5192) 136 606;Fax: +49 (5192) 136 355; E-mail: FrankSabath@bwb.org.TheRadio Science Bulletin No 313 (June, 2005) 11