Physics 506 Winter 2008

Homework Assignment #1 Solutions

Textbook problems: Ch. 8: 8.2, 8.4

8.2 A transmission line consisting of two concentric circular cylinders of metal with con-
ductivity and skin depth , as shown, is filled with a uniform lossless dielectric (, ).
A TEM mode is propagated along this line. Section 8.1 applies.
a) Show that the time-averaged power flow along the line is
r  
2 2 b
P = a |H0 | ln
 a
where H0 is the peak value of the azimuthal magnetic field at the surface of the
inner conductor.
A TEM mode is essentially a two-dimensional electrostatic problem. Thus we
start by finding the electric field between the two cylinders. By elementary means,
it should be clear that
E~ t = A

where A is a constant that will be determined shortly. Assuming wave prop-
~ t =  z E
agation in the +z direction, we use B ~ t to obtain the magnetic
field r
~  A
Ht =

This indicates
p that the magnitude of the magnetic field at the inner conductor is
H(a) = /(A/a). Defining this as H0 gives
r
~ a ~ t = H0 a
Et = H0 , H (1)

The (harmonic) Poynting vector is then

a2
r
~ = 1E
S ~ = 1
~ H
|H0 |2 2 z
2 2 
so the power flow is
Z r Z b 2 r  
~ da = 1 2 a 2 2 b
P = z S |H0 | 2
2 d = |H 0 | a ln (2)
A 2  a  a

b) Show that the transmitted power is attenuated along the line as

P (z) = P0 e2z
 where
 a1 + 1b
r

1
=
ln ab


2

We compute the attenuation coefficient according to

1 dP
= (3)
2P dz
The power P was calculated in part a. For the power loss per unit length of the
waveguide, we use

a2
I I
dP 1 ~ dl = 1 |H0 |2
2
= |
n H| dl
dz 2 C 2 C 2

Note that there are two boundaries, one at = a (with circumference 2a) and
the other at = b (with circumference 2b). This gives

dP 1 a
= |H0 |2 [2a + (a/b)2 2b] = |H0 |2 (a + b) (4)
dz 2 b

Inserting this power loss expression and the power (2) into (3) yields

 a1 + 1b
r r

1  a+b 1
= =
ln ab


2 ab ln(b/a) 2

c) The characteristic impedance Z0 of the line is defined as the ratio of the voltage
between the cylinders to the axial current flowing in one of them at any position
z. Show that for this line
r  
1 b
Z0 = ln
2  a

Since Z0 = |V |/I, we need to compute the voltage difference between the cylin-
ders as well as the current. For the voltage difference, we have
b Z b
Z r r  
~ ~ a b
V = E dl = H0 d = H0 a ln
a  a  a

where we have used (1) for the electric field. In addition, the current is given by
integrating the surface current density. For the inside conductor, we have
 
~ =n a
~ = H0
K H = H0 z
=a
 Hence I
I= |K| dl = 2aH0
C

Taking the ratio Z0 = |V |/I results in

r  
1 b
Z0 = ln
2  a

d) Show that the series resistance and inductance per unit length of the line are
 
1 1 1
R= +
2 a b
    
b c 1 1
L= ln + +
2 a 4 a b

where c is the permeability of the conductor. The correction to the inductance

comes from the penetration of the flux into the conductors by a distance of order .
We may obtain the series resistance from the power loss

1 2 dP
2 |I| R =
dz

where R denotes the resistance per unit length. Using dP/dz from (4) as well
as the current computed above, we find
 
2 dP 1 a+b
R= 2 =
|I| dz 2 ab

For the inductance per unit length, we compute the energy per unit length stored
in the magnetic field. Inside the volume of the waveguide, we have
b
a2
Z Z  
~ 2 b
Uvol = |H | da = |H0 |2 2
2 d = |H0 |2 a2 ln
A 4 4 a 2 a

In addition, since some of the magnetic field penetrates the conducting walls, we
use the approximation
H() = Hk e/ ei/
where is the distance into the conductor. Assuming the skin depth is much
less than the thickness of the conductor as well as the radius of curvature, we
approximate
Z Z
c c c
Uwall = C |H()|2 d = C|Hk |2 e2/ d = C|Hk |2
0 4 4 0 8
 where C is the circumference of the wall. On the inside wall, we have C = 2a
and Hk = H0 , while on the outside wall, we have C = 2b and Hk = H0 (a/b).
Hence
c c a
Uwalls = |H0 |2 [2a + 2b(a/b)2 ] = |H0 |2 (a + b)
8 4 b
Using
1 2
4 L|I| = Uvol + Uwalls
we end up with  
b c a + b
L= ln +
2 a 4 ab

8.4 Transverse electric and magnetic waves are propagated along a hollow, right circular
cylinder with inner radius R and conductivity .
a) Find the cutoff frequencies of the various TE and TM modes. Determine nu-
merically the lowest cutoff frequency (the dominant mode) in terms of the tube
radius and the ratio of cutoff frequencies of the next four higher modes to that of
the dominant mode. For this part assume that the conductivity of the cylinder
is infinite.
The eigenvalue equation for either TE or TM modes is

[2t + 2 ](, ) = 0

where (R, ) = 0 for TM modes or d(, )/d|=R = 0 for TE modes. Writing

(, ) = ()eim , the radial equation (in cylindrical coordinates) becomes

m2
 
1
+ 2 2 () = 0

which is solved by Bessel functions. Avoiding the Neumann function which blows
up at = 0, we have
(, ) Jm ()eim
The boundary conditions then place conditions on . For TM modes (Dirichlet
conditions), we demand Jm (R) = 0. Hence

xmn xmn
(TM) mn = or mn =
R R

where xmn is the n-th zero of Jm . For TE modes (Neumann conditions), on the
0
other hand, we demand Jm (R) = 0. Hence

x0mn x0
(TE) mn = or mn = mn
R R
 where x0mn is the n-th zero of Jm0 0
. Sorting through the zeros of Jm and Jm , the
lowest five modes are given by

mode Rmn mn /dominant
TE11 1.841 1
TM01 2.405 1.306
TE21 3.054 1.659
TE02 and TM11 3.832 2.081
Note that the TE02 and TM11 modes are degenerate. This is a special case where
the Bessel identity J00 () = J1 () demonstrates that x00,n+1 = x1n .
b) Calculate the attenuation constants of the waveguide as a function of frequency
for the lowest two distinct modes and plot them as a function of frequency.
The computation of the attenuation coefficients involves computing both power
P and power loss dP/dz. We first consider TM modes. The power is given by
r  2  2
1/2 Z
1  mn
P = 1 2 ||2 da (5)
2 mn A

Using = Jm ()eim gives

Z Z R
2
|| da = 2 Jm (xmn /R)2 d = 2[ 21 R2 Jm+1 (xmn )2 ] = R2 Jm+1 (xmn )2
A 0

where the expression in the square brackets comes from the Bessel function or-
thogonality relation
Z a
J (xm /a)J (xn /a) d = 12 a2 J+1 (xm )2 mn
0

Hence 2  1/2
2
r 
1  mn
P = 1 2 R2 Jm+1 (xmn )2 (6)
2 mn
For a TM mode, the power loss is given by
2 I
 2
  
dP 1 1
= 2 2  n  dl
 
dz 2 mn C mn

In this case 
 0
= = mn Jm (xmn )eim
n =R
2 2
Using mn = mn , we obtain

dP 1  0
= (2R)Jm (xmn )2
dz 2
We may now have some fun with Bessel functions. Using the recursion relation

m 0
Jm+1 () = Jm () Jm ()

as setting = xmn to be a zero of Jm , we obtain

0
Jm+1 (xmn ) = Jm (xmn )

This allows us to rewrite the power loss as

dP 1 
= (2R)Jm+1 (xmn )2 (7)
dz 2

Given (6) and (7), the TMmn attenuation coefficient is obtained by setting

r  2
1/2 r  2
1/2
1 dP 1  mn 2R 1  mn 1
mn = = 1 2 2
= 1 2
2P dz 2 R R

Note that 1/R = C/(2A) were C = 2R and A =pR2 are the circumference and
area of the cylindrical waveguide. Since = mn mn / (where mn is the skin
depth at the cutoff frequency mn ), we get the standard TM expression with the
geometric factor mn = 1.
For the TE mode, the power loss calculation is somewhat lengthier, as it involves
both Hz and H~ t . We begin with the power, which is given by a similar expression
p
as (5), however with a factor of / instead. The Bessel normalization integral
is now Z R
Jm (x0mn /R)2 d = 21 R2 (1 m2 /x0mn
2
)Jm (x0mn )2
0

which gives
2  2
1/2
m2
r   
1 mn
P = 1 2 2
R 1 0 2 Jm (x0mn )2 (8)
2  mn xmn

This time, the power loss expression is

2 I 
2 2
   
dP 1 1 ~ mn
= 2
1 mn | 2 2
n t | + 2 || dl
dz 2 mn C mn 2

There are two terms to evaluate. The simple one is

I
||2 dl = (2R)Jm (x0mn )2
C
 =
For the gradient term, we note that n on the inside of the cylinder. And
~
t = + (1/) . Hence
I  2 2
~ t |2 dl = (2R) 
 1  = (2R) m Jm (x0mn )2

|
n
C
  R2

Combining these two terms yields

2
m2 2 2
    
dP 1 mn mn
= (2R) 0 2 1 2 + 2 Jm (x0mn )2
dz 2 mn xmn

Using this for the power loss and (8) for the power itself gives an attenuation
coefficient
1 dP
mn =
2P dz
2
1/2 1
2R m2 2 2
m2
r     
1  mn mn mn
= 1 2 1 2 + 2 1 02
2 R2 x0mn
2 xmn
1/2
2 m2 2
r    
1  1 mn
= 1 mn +
2 R x0mn
2 m2 2

This demonstrates that the TE geometric factors are mn = m2 /(x0mn

2
m2 ) and
mn = 1.
The attenuation constants are plotted as follows
/
4

TM 0,1
2

1
TE 1,1

2 4 6 8 / dominant
where r
1  1
=
mn R