The Essence of Dielectric Waveguides provides an overview of the fundamental behavior of guided waves, essential to finding and interpreting the results of electromagnetic waveguide problems. Clearly and concisely written as well as brilliantly organized, this volume includes a detailed description of the fundamentals of electromagnetics, as well as a new discussion on boundary conditions and attenuation. It also covers the propagation characteristics of guided waves along classical canonical dielectric structures - planar, circular cylindrical, rectangular and elliptical waveguides. Modern applications of the technology include optical fibers, fiber solitons and WDM shepherd pulses, ultra low-loss THz guides, and plasmon sub-wavelength guides. They also include photonic structures, metamaterial guides, and moving medium guides. All of the above are examined in detail in this thoroughly comprehensive volume. What's more, the authors have included extensive coverage of inhomogeneous structures and approximate methods, as well as several powerful numerical approaches specifically applicable to dielectric waveguides.