1. n. [Geophysics]

A mode of the electromagnetic field that involves only one component of the electric field and the two components of the magnetic field perpendicular to it; e.g., the x-component of the electric field and y- and z-components of the magnetic field. The TE mode is useful in describing 2D models in which the electric field is perpendicular to the 2D plane of the model. For this case, Maxwell's equations can be reduced to a single scalar equation for the electric field component, which simplifies calculations tremendously. There is an analogous mode for the magnetic field called the TM mode. A general EM field in a region without sources can be expressed as a sum of TE and TM modes.

Alternate Form: transverse electric mode