Waveguide notes 2017

Electromagnetic waves in free space

We start with Maxwells equations for an LIH medum in the case that the
source terms and are both zero.

=

=0
=0


=



=

Take the curl of Faradays law, and then use Amperes law:





= =





2 =

Use the first Maxwell equation (the "H" in LIH assures us that spatial derivatives

of are zero1 ), and we obtain the wave equation with wave speed = 1

2

2 =
2

2

= 2 2
2

A similar derivation gives the same equation for Now lets look at a plane
wave solution:

= 0 exp

= 0 exp +

where = the wave phase speed. By including the phase constant

we allow for a possible phase shift bewteen
in the expression for and

Inserting these expressions into Maxwells equations, we have

= 0
0 = 0 (1)

= 0
0 = 0

Thus both and are perpendicular to the direction of propagation. From

Faradays law


0 exp =
0 exp +

1 Here we also assume that is independent of

1

Since this relation must be true for all and and is real, we have = 0 (
and oscillate in phase) and

0 = 1
0 = 0 (2)

Thus is also perpendicular to

and its magnitude is
If the waves propagate in a vacuum, the derivation goes through in the same

way and the only dierence is that the wave speed is = 1 0 0 In an LIH
p p
medium, = where the refractive index = 0 0 ' 0
Electromagnetic fields in a wave guide
A wave guide is a region with a conducting boundary inside which EM waves
are caused to propagate. In this confined region the boundary conditions create
constraints on the wave fields. We shall idealize, and assume that the walls are
perfect conductors. If they are not, currents flowing in the walls lead to energy
loss. See Jackson Ch 8 for a discussion of this case, especially sections 1 and 5.

The boundary conditions at the walls of our perfectly conducting guide are
(see notes 1 eqns 5,7,8 and 10):

=
(3)

where is the free surface charge density on the wall,

=0
(4)

=0
(5)

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and
=
(6)
where is the free surface current density. (Note that we have assumed =0
inside the conducting material. This is true here because all our fields are
assumed to be time-dependent, and then non-zero
implies non-zero
by Faradays law. Non-zero is not allowed inside a perfect conductor, and
so must be zero too. ) Since we do not know or equations (4) and (5)
will be most useful.
Now we use cylindrical coordinates with along the guide in the direction
of wave propagation. The transverse coordinates will be chosen to match the
cross-sectional shape of the guide Cartesian for a rectangular guide and polar
for a circular guide. Next we assume that all fields may be written in the form
=
0 ()

We are not making any special assumptions about the time variation, because
we can always Fourier transform the fields to get combinations of terms of this
form. Then Maxwells equations in the guide take the form:

=

=0
=0

and

=


Taking the curl of Faradays law, and inserting from Amperes law, we
get:


=
2 =
=

2
= 2 (7)

This equation is the same as we obtained for free space. Note that is usually
a function of
Next we look for solutions that take the form of waves propagating in the
direction, that is:
0 () =
( )

The wave equation (7) then becomes:

+ 2
2t =0
2 (8)

where 2t is the Laplacian operator in the two transverse coordinates ( and

or and for example.) Thus equation (8) is an equation for the function
of the two transverse coordinates.
Since we were able to simplify the equations by separating the function
into its dependence on the coordinates along and transverse to the guide, we

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now try to do the same thing with the components. At first glance, and based
on equation (1), you might want to jump to the conclusion that there is no
component of a wave propagating in the direction, but in general there
is. The waves are propagating between conducting boundaries, and we have to
allow for the possibility that waves travel at an angle to the guide center-line,
and bounce back and forth o the walls as they travel. Since is perpendicular

to the wave vector, in such a bouncing wave has a component. The total
electromagnetic disturbance in the guide is a sum of such waves. The sum is a
combination of waves that interfere constructively. Thus we take
= +
t

and similarly
= +
t
This decomposition simplifies the boundary conditions, since the normal
on
the boundary has no component. Then eqn (5) becomes

t = 0 on
(9)

However equation (4) has two components. The transverse component gives

= 0 on (10)

while the component gives

t = 0 on
(11)

Next we put these components into Maxwells equations. The divergence

equations are scalar equations, so lets start with them:


= 0 = + t t

and evaluating the derivative, we get
t
+ t = 0 (12)

Similarly:

t
+ t = 0 (13)
We separate the curl equations into transverse and components. Take the
dot product of Faradays law with :


= = t
t (14)
and also the cross product:


=

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Lets investigate the triple cross product on the left. Since is a constant, we
may move it through the operator in the BAC-CAB rule:

=

=
t

The derivative times appears in both terms in the middle, and so

cancels, leaving:
t t = t


and evaluating the derivative, we get
t
t = t
(15)

Similarly, from Amperes law, we have the transverse component:

t
t = t
(16)

and the component

= t
t (17)

Equations (12), (13), (17) and (14) show that the longitudinal components
t and
and act as sources of the transverse fields t.
Now we can simplify by looking at the normal modes of the system.
Transverse Electric (TE) (or magnetic) modes.
In these modes there is no longitudinal component of :

0 everywhere

Thus boundary condition (10) is automatically satisfied. The remaining bound-

ary conditions are (9) and (11), and we can find the version that we need by
taking the dot product of with equation (16):


t
t = t

The second term is zero on (eqn 9), and we rearrange the triple scalar product
on the right, leaving:

=
t = 0 on
(18)


where we used the other boundary condition (11) for
Transverse Magnetic (TM) (or electric) modes.

In these modes there is no longitudinal component of :

0 everywhere

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Thus the boundary condition (18) is trivially satisfied, and we must impose the
remaining condition (10)
= 0 on S.
Since the Maxwell equations are linear, we can form superpositions of these
two sets of modes to obtain fields in the guide with non-zero longitudinal com-
ponents of both and
These modes are the result of the constructive inter-
ference mentioned above.
Transverse electromagnetic (TEM) modes
In these modes both and are zero everywhere. Then from (12) and
t
(14), t and
t t are zero everywhere. This means we can express t
as the gradient of a scalar function that satisfies Laplaces equation in two
dimensions. The boundary condition (11) becomes



= = 0 on

where is a coordinate parallel to the surface Since

and are perpendicular,

is not zero, and so = constant on and therefore is constant everywhere

inside the volume making t = 0 Thus these modes cannot exist inside a
hollow guide. They may exist, and in fact become the dominant modes, inside a
guide with a separate inner boundary, like a coaxial cable. We will not consider
them further here.
Now lets see how the equations simplify for the TE and TM modes..
TM modes
We start by finding an equation for Since 0 equation (16) simplifies
to:
t
= t
t t
=
(19)

and we substitute this result back into equation (15).

t + t =
t

2
t = t t

2 t
= 1 2 (20)

back into equation (12):

and finally we substitute this result for

t

t
+ 2 = 0
1 2

2t + 2 2 = 0

6
or
2t + 2 = 0 (21)
with
2 2 2 (22)
2
Equation (21) is the defining dierential equation for Once we have solved
t from equation (20) and then
for we can find t from equation (19).
TE modes
The argument proceeds similarly. We start with equation (15) with = 0,
to get:
t =
t (23)

and substitute into equation (16)

t +
t = t
2

t = t
(24)

Then finally from equation (13) we have:

t t
+ = 0
2

2t + 2 = 0
which is the same dierential equation that we found for in the TM modes.
The solutions are dierent because the boundary conditions are dierent. Thus
the solution for the two modes proceeds as follows:

TM modes TE modes
assumed 0 0

dierential equation 2t + 2 = 0 2t + 2 = 0 This is an eigenvalue/

boundary condition = 0 on S = 0 on S eigenfunction problem.

next find =
=
2 t 2 t

then find t =
t t
t =

The dierential equation plus boundary condition is an eigenvalue problem

that produces a set of eigenfunctions (or ) and a set of eigenvalues
The wave number is then determined from equation (22):
2 = 2 2 (25)
2 This equation is the Helmholtz equation.

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Clearly if is greater than = where is the wave phase speed
in unbounded space, becomes imaginary and the wave does not propagate.
There is a cut-o frequency for each mode, given by

If is the lowest eigenvalue for any mode, the corresponding frequency is the
cuto frequency for the guide, and waves at lower frequencies cannot propagate
in the guide.
A few things to note: the wave number is always less than the free-
space value and thus the wavelength is always greater than the free-space
wavelength. The phase speed in the waveguide is
1 1 1
= = p =
1 2 2

and we can dierentiate eqn (25) to get

2 = 2

Then the group speed in the guide is
r
2 1 1 2 1
= = = = 1 =
2 2
Thus information travels more slowly than if the wave were to propagate in free
space.
TM modes in a rectangular wave guide
We use Cartesian coordinates with origin at one corner of the guide. Let
the guide have dimensions in the -direction by in the direction. Let the
interior be full of air so 0 = 0 ' 1 Then the dierential equation for
is (21) 2
2 2
+ + = 0
2 2
As usual we look for a separated solution, choosing = () () to obtain:
00 00
+ + 2 = 0

Each term must separately be constant, so we have:
00
= 2

00
= 2

and
2 2 + 2 = 0

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 The boundary condition is = 0 on so:

= 0 at = 0 and =

and
= 0 at = 0 and =
Thus the appropriate solutions are = sin and = sin with eigenvalues
chosen to fit the second boundary condition in each coordinate:

= and =

Thus, putting back the dependence on and we have

= sin sin (26)

and 2 2
2 = + (27)

Notice that the lowest possible values of and are 1 in each case, since taking
or = 0 would render identically zero. Thus the lowest eigenvalue is
r
1 1
11 = 2
+ 2

and the cuto frequency for the TM modes is:
r r
1 1 2
c,TM = 11 = 2
+ 2 = 1+ 2

Jackson solves for the TE modes (pg 361). The eigenvalues are the same,
but in this case it is possible for one (but not both) of and to be zero,
leading to a lower cuto frequency for the TE modes:

TE =

assuming This would be the cuto frequency for the guide.
In the TM mode, the remaining fields are (eqns 20 and 26):

t
= t sin sin
2

=
cos sin +
sin cos (28)
2
and (eqn 19)

t
=

cos sin +
sin cos
2 2


= 2 2 cos sin
sin cos (29)

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where (eqns 25 and 27)
r 2 2
= 2

As usual, the physical fields are given by the real part of each mathematical
expression, so that, for example, t sin ( ). You should verify that
these fields satisfy the boundary conditions at = 0 and at = 0
Power
The power transmitted by the waves in the guide is:

() = 1


0

where here we must take the real, physical fields. Usually we are interested in
the time-averaged Poynting flux, which is given by

= Re 1

(30)
20

where the fields on the right are the complex functions we have just found.
Proof of this result:
=
If 0 = 0 and similarly for
where 0 and 0 are
real, then

= 1 Re Re
0
and the time average is
0 0
=
cos ( ) cos ( )
0
0 0
= (cos cos + sin sin ) (cos cos + sin sin )
0

0 0
= cos cos cos2 +
0

(cos sin + cos sin ) cos sin + sin sin sin2
0 0 0 0
= (cos cos + sin sin ) = cos ( )
20 20
1
= Re
20

so the two results are the same. (See also Notes 2 page 11.)

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 are:
Using the solution (28, 29), the components of
1
= Re
20

1 2 2
= Re () cos sin + sin cos
20 2 2 2
2

2 2
= cos sin + sin cos
20 4 2
p
2 2
2 2 2 2
= cos sin + sin cos
20 4 2
q
2 2
2
0
2
2 2 2

= h 2 i2 cos sin + sin cos
2 2
+

Check the dimensions! is positive for all values of and showing that
power is propagating continuously along the guide in the positive -direction.
The transverse component is:
1 1
= Re = Re
20 20

1
= Re 0 sin sin () 2 2 0 cos sin
20
= 0
Because there is no real part, the time averaged power flowing across the guide
is zero. Power sloshes back and forth, but there is no net energy transfer.
Fields in a parallel plate wave guide
By simplifying the shape of the guide even more, we can demonstrate how
the wave modes are formed by reflection of waves at the guide walls. Let this
guide exist in the region 0 with infinite extent in For the TM modes,
the equation to be satisfied is:
2
t + 2 = 0
with
= 0 at = 0 and =
Because the region is infinite in the direction, the appropriate solution has
no dependence:

= sin (31)

with

=

Thus the cuto frequency for these modes is

TM = 1 = (32)

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Then the other components of the fields are:

= = 2 cos
2

= cos (33)

and

= cos
= 2

2

= 2 cos
(34)

Lets look at the electric field first. We write the sine and cosine as combi-
nations of complex exponentials. From (31),

+
= =
2 2
and from (33)
+
=
2
Thus we can write the electric field as a superposition

total = 1
2
1 +
2
where the two superposed fields are

1 = (
) exp ( + )

and
2 = (
+ ) exp ( )

Similarly:

t = + 1 2

= 1 +
2 2 2
with
12 =
exp [ ( )]
2
Now define the four vectors

1 =
; 2 =
+

and
1 = +
; 2 = +

12
Then for = 1 2 the vectors are perpendicular:

= 0

and
2
1 1 = (
+ ) ( 2 + 2 =
) = 2 = 2 2

where we used equation (25). The vectors are shown in the diagram below.

The two electric field components are then:

1 = 1 exp (1 )
and 2 = 2 exp (2 )


while
1 1
= 2 1
exp [ ( + )] =

consistent with (2) and (34).
Each of these sets of fields ( 1 and 1
2 and
2 ) has the form of
a free-space wave propagating in the direction given by the vectors 1 and 2
respectively and with wave number
p
|1 | = |2 | = 2 + 2 =

. These waves are moving across the guide at an angle given by

tan = = = q
2
2 2

that is, the waves are reflecting o the plates at = 0 as shown in the
diagram. When the angle becomes 2 the wave ceases to propagate along
the guide, but just bounces back and forth. This happens when tan or

=

This gives the cut-o frequency (32) we found before.
See also Lea and Burke pages 1058-1060.

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