Table 3.
Summary of Extracellular Field Types Far From An Axon
| Field Type | Causes | Far-Field Behavior | Angular | Generator Type | Comment |
| Radiation | Change in Dipole Direction Moving Dipole Through Region of Altered Electrical Properties | cos(θ) -Free Particle. Complex Angular Dependence for Transition Radiation | Traveling | Clinically Insignificant | |
| Dipole | Change in Axon Radius (Dipole Tangent To Axon) | cos(θ) | Stationary | Includes "Sealed End" Axons | |
| Axon curvature (Dipole Normal To Axon) | cos(θ) | Stationary | |||
| Localized Changes in Extracellular Electrical Properties | Cos(θ) | Stationary | Only When Cylindrical Symmetry is Broken | ||
| Quadrupolar | Impulse Travelling Along Uniform, Straight, Homogenous Axon in Isotropic Electrical Environment. | 3 cos2(θ)-1 | Travelling | ||
| Changes in Cable Properties. | 3 cos2(θ)-1 | Stationary | |||
| Localized Changes in Extracellular Electrical Properties | 3 cos2(θ)-1 | Stationary | For Instance the Plane Conducting Boundary | ||
| Boundary | Fields Generated Because of the Finite Volume In Which The Generator is Immersed | Broadly Distributed | Depends Critically on Boundary Shape and Size | Stationary or Travelling | Potentials Linear Far From Source For A Cylindrical Volume Conductor |