Vector wave equations weakly guiding waveguides

We showed above that the modes of weakly guiding waveguides are approximately TEM waves, with fields e = e, h S h, and h, related to e, by Eq. (13-1). In an exact analysis, the spatial dependence of e,(x,y) requires solution of Maxwell s equations, or, equivalently, the vector wave equation, Eq. (1 l-40a). However, when A 1, polarization effects due to the waveguide structure are small, and the cartesian components of e, are approximated by solutions of the scalar wave equation. The justification in Section 13-1 is based on the fact that the waveguide is virtually homogeneous as far as polarization effects are concerned when A 1. As we showed in Section 11-16, these effects... 

If we are to account for waveguide polarization properties in the propagation constant, we must add a correction dp to the scalar propagation constant p.To determine Sp exactly we would have to solve the vector wave equation. However, the V, Inn term on the right of Eq. (ll-40a) is small for weakly guiding waveguides, so we use simple perturbation methods in Section 32-4. From Eq. (32-24) we have... 

In Chapter 13 we showed how to construct the fields of bound modes on weakly guiding waveguides using simple physical arguments, and then, in Chapter 25, we extended the method to include radiation modes. To complement the physical approach, we now give the formal mathematical derivation using perturbation theory on the vector wave equation. 

Thus, the discrete values of P for the bound inodes of Eq. (33-1) are replaced by a continuum of values for P(Q). We explained in Chapter 25 why it is more convenient to work with the radiation mode parameter Q, which is defined inside the back cover. We are also reminded that both the electric and magnetic transverse fields, e, and h, of the vector bound modes of weakly guiding waveguides are solutions of the scalar wave equation. However, only e Q) of the vector radiation modes satisfies the scalar wave equation, as we showed in Chapter 25. 

The radiation field of the scalar wave equation can be represented by the continuum of scalar radiation modes discussed above, or by a discrete summation of scalar leaky modes and a space wave. This is clear by analogy with the discussion of vector radiation and leaky modes for weakly guiding waveguides in Chapters 25 and 26. Scalar leaky modes have solutions P of Eq. (33-1) below their cutoff values when P becomes complex. Many of the properties of bound modes derived in this chapter also apply to leaky modes. For example, the orthogonality condition of Eq. (33-5a) applies to leaky modes, provided only that the cross-sectional area A. is replaced by the complex area A of Section 24-15 to ensure that the line integral of Eq. (33-4) vanishes. 

---