Past exam of the physics B course of the University of Cambridge / 2021 / Paper 2 / Section A / A3

Assume a hollow, perfectly conducting rectangular electromagnetic waveguide filled with air approximated by vacuum. Let its wider side be $a=0.040\mathrm{m}$ and its narrower side $b=0.020\mathrm{m}$. The longitudinal propagation constant of a mode isso the waveguide cutoff frequency isFor a mode with transverse electric polarization, one of $m,n$ may vanish, but they cannot both vanish. For a mode with transverse magnetic polarization, both must be positive. A single hollow conducting guide has no transverse electromagnetic mode with zero cutoff.

The lowest cutoff therefore belongs to the ${\mathrm{TE}}_{10}$ mode, varying across the wider side:Strictly, a traveling mode transporting energy down the guide requires $f>f_c$. At exactly $f_c$, $k_z=0$ and the axial group velocity vanishes. Below cutoff the field is evanescent. A different dielectric filling would replace $c$ by the wave speed in that material.