Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/2496-the-book-end

The Book End

December 1, 1998

The Book End

Theory of Nonuniform Waveguides: The Cross-section Method

B.Z. Katsenelenbaum, L. Mercader del Rio, M. Pereyaslavets, M. Sorolla Ayza and M. Thumm
The Institute of Electrical Engineers
249 pages; $95

Electronic devices that generate high power mm-waves produce electromagnetic fields with a very complex structure. It is necessary to launch this power with minimal losses and with a specific field structure (hence, the use of specifically designed components in oversized nonuniform waveguide). The cross-section method for analysis and synthesis of these devices has been very successful. When used on modern computers, the method permits an exact description of the electromagnetic field in an oversized waveguide with several types of propagating coupled waves. This updated version of the book explores this analysis method and is oriented mainly toward the application of high power microwaves to plasma heating and materials processing.

The book describes the design of components required for low loss transmission and highly efficient transformation of electromagnetic waves in oversized waveguides using the cross-section method. Many useful formulas for the practical layout of such transmission line components are supplied.

The use of the cross-section method in several areas is presented, including fiber-optic communications, antenna synthesis, natural waveguides and microwave radio links as well as for the solution of nonlinear problems. The mathematical foundations of the cross-section method are described and several examples are offered.

The book first offers a short summary of the theory of uniform waveguides, and the auxiliary method of small nonuniformities is described. Chapter 2 describes the cross-section method. Two special cases are described in Chapter 3, including the case of very gradual nonuniformities. In the remaining chapters, the developed method is applied to practical engineering problems.

This book is not for everyone. However, for those engineers working in this area, the explanation of this unique analysis method is presented in easy-to-understand terms.

To order this book, contact:
Inspec Dept., IEEE Operation Center,
PO Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331
(908) 562-5553.

Quick Finite Elements for Electromagnetic Waves
Click the title to read this book online.

Guiseppe Pelosi, Roberto Coccioli and Stefano Selleri
Artech House Inc.
219 pages plus CD-ROM; $79, £63

The finite element method (FEM) plays a fundamental role in the analysis of electromagnetic problems and is one of the most widely used CAD tools for microwave component analysis. However, implementation of the FEM is not simple and requires detailed analytical development of the formulation prior to implementation, a deeper knowledge of linear algebra methods and a more involved preprocessing phase than some of the other methods. The goal of this book is to shorten the learning curve for FEM and reduce its implementation time by providing the user with the essential theory behind FEM, limiting the analytical development to that strictly required to get started and guiding the reader in implementation by describing (in detail) certain applications and their related codes. The supplied CD-ROM contains the complete software described in the text. The source codes have been written in FORTRAN 77 and are designed to be as platform independent as possible. The class of problems that can be solved range from waveguide characterization to scattering and radiation.

The first chapter explains an extremely simple application to a guided propagation problem using the quasi-static approach. A brief introduction to FEM is provided and the various implementation phases of an FEM code are discussed. Chapter 2 presents a set of software tools and libraries employed by all codes that are depicted in the remaining chapters. Chapters 3 through 6 describe the finite element formulation and the relative implementation to solve fairly general problems. Chapter 7 presents an extensive bibliography to assist the reader in further investigation.

This text is a cookbook for engineers who are attempting to implement FEM for the first time or in an area that may be unfamiliar. It is entirely applications oriented and strips away the laborious theory, making it easier to concentrate on quick and efficient usage.

To order this book, contact:
Artech House Inc.,
685 Canton St.,
Norwood, MA 02062
(781) 769-9750, ext. 4002; or

46 Gillingham Street,
London SW1V 1AH, UK
+44 (0) 171 973 8077.