|-
| style="width:30px;" | [[File:gap_src_icon.png]]
| [[Glossary of EM.Cube's Excitation Materials, Sources, Devices & Other Physical Object Types#Strip Gap Circuit Source |Strip Gap Circuit Source]]
| style="width:300px;" | General-purpose point voltage source (or filament current source on slot traces)
| style="width:300px;" | Associated with a PEC rectangle strip
|-
| style="width:30px;" | [[File:probe_src_icon.png]]
| [[Glossary of EM.Cube's Excitation Materials, Sources, Devices & Other Physical Object Types#Probe Gap Circuit Source |Probe Gap Circuit Source]]
| style="width:300px;" | General-purpose voltage source for modeling coaxial feeds
| style="width:300px;" | Associated with an embedded PEC via set
|-
| style="width:30px;" | [[File:waveport_src_icon.png]]
| [[Glossary of EM.Cube's Excitation Materials, Sources, Devices & Other Physical Object Types#Scattering Wave Port |Scattering Wave Port Source]]
| style="width:300px;" | Used for S-parameter computations
| style="width:300px;" | Associated with an open-ended PEC rectangle strip, extends long from the open end
|-
| style="width:30px;" | [[File:hertz_src_icon.png]]
| [[Glossary of EM.Cube's Excitation Materials, Sources, Devices & Other Physical Object Types#Hertzian Short Dipole Source |Hertzian Short Dipole Source]]
| style="width:300px;" | Almost omni-directional physical radiator
| style="width:300px;" | None, stand-alone source
|-
| style="width:30px;" | [[File:plane_wave_icon.png]]
| [[Glossary of EM.Cube's Excitation Materials, Sources, Devices & Other Physical Object Types#Plane Wave |Plane Wave Source]]
| style="width:300px;" | Used for modeling scattering & computation of reflection/transmission characteristics of periodic surfaces
| style="width:300px;" | None, stand-alone source
|-
| style="width:30px;" | [[File:huyg_src_icon.png]]
| [[Glossary of EM.Cube's Excitation Materials, Sources, Devices & Other Physical Object Types#Huygens Source |Huygens Source]]
| style="width:300px;" | Used for modeling equivalent sourced imported from other [[EM.Cube]] modules
| style="width:300px;" | Imported from a Huygens surface data file
|}
Click on each category to learn more details about it in the [[Glossary of EM.Cube's Excitation Materials, Sources, Devices & Other Physical Object Types]].
For antennas and planar circuits, where you typically define one or more ports, you usually use lumped sources. [[EM.Picasso]] provides three types of lumped sources: gap source, probe source and de-embedded source. A lumped source is indeed a gap discontinuity that is placed on the path of an electric or magnetic current flow, where a voltage or current source is connected to inject a signal. Gap sources are placed across metal or slot traces. A rectangle strip object on a PEC or conductive sheet trace acts like a strip transmission line that carries electric currents along its length (local X direction). The characteristic impedance of the line is a function of its width (local Y direction). A gap source placed on a narrow metal strip creates a uniform electric field across the gap and pumps electric current into the line. A rectangle strip object on a slot trace acts like a slot transmission line on an infinite PEC ground plane that carries a magnetic current along its length (local X direction). The characteristic impedance of the slot line is a function of its width (local Y direction). A gap source placed on a narrow slot represents an ideal current source. A slot gap acts like an ideal current filament, which creates electric fields across the slot, equivalent to a magnetic current flowing into the slot line. Probe sources are placed across vertical PEC vias. A de-embedded source is a special type of gap source that is placed near the open end of an elongated metal or slot trace to create a standing wave pattern, from which the scattering [[parameters]] can be calculated accurately.