Electric and magnetic currents are the fundamental output data of a planar MoM simulation. After the numerical solution of the MoM linear system, they are found using the solution vector '''[I]''' and the definitions of the electric and magnetic vectorial basis functions:
:<math>\mathbf{[I]}_{N\times 1} = \begin{bmatrix} I^{(J)} \\ \\ V^{(M)} \end{bmatrix} \quad \Rightarrow \quad \begin{cases}\mathbf{J(r)} = \sum_{n=1}^N I_n^{(J)} \mathbf{f_n^{(J)} (r)} \\\\\mathbf{M(r)} = \sum_{k=1}^K V_k^{(M)} \mathbf{f_k^{(M)} (r)}\end{cases}</math><!--[[File:PMOM83.png]]-->
Note that currents are complex vector quantities. Each electric or magnetic current has three X, Y and Z components, and each complex component has a magnitude and phase. You can visualize the surface electric currents on metal (PEC) and conductive sheet traces, surface magnetic currents on slot (PMC) traces and vertical volume currents on the PEV vias and embedded dielectric objects. 3D color-coded intensity plots of electric and magnetic current distributions are visualized in the project workspace, superimposed on the surface of physical objects.
Once you close the current distribution dialog, the label of the selected trace or object set is added under the '''Current Distributions''' node of the Navigation Tree. '''Note that you have to define a separate current distribution observable for each individual trace or embedded object set.''' At the end of a planar MoM simulation, the current distribution nodes in the Navigation Tree become populated by the magnitude and phase plots of the three vectorial components of the electric ('''J''') and magnetic ('''M''') currents as well as the total electric and magnetic currents defined in the following manner:
:<math> | \mathbf{J_{tot}} | = \sqrt{|J_x|^2 + |J_y|^2 + |J_z|^2}</math>Â :<math> | \mathbf{M_{tot}} | = \sqrt{|M_x|^2 + |M_y|^2 + |M_z|^2}</math><!--[[File:PMOM87.png]]-->
You can click on any current plot to visualize it in the project workspace. A legend box at the upper right corner of the screen shows the color map scale as well as the minimum, maximum, mean and standard deviation of the current data and its units. To exit the 3D plot view and return to EM.Cube's normal view, hit the keyboard's '''Esc Key'''.
[[File:PMOM85(1).png|800px]]
Figure 2: The current distribution map of a patch antenna.
[[File:PMOM86(2).png|800px]]
Figure 3: Vectorial (cone) visualization of the current distribution on a patch antenna.