FEM-Based Dispersion and Mode Analysis of Rectangular, Circular, and Ridge Waveguide Geometries

Abstract

This paper presents a two-dimensional finite element method (FEM) solver for computing modal field distributions and dispersion characteristics of hollow metallic waveguides. To solve the waveguide problem, the source-free frequency-domain Maxwell equations are reduced to scalar Helmholtz eigenvalue formulations evaluated over the waveguide's transverse cross section. The computational method determines both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) mode families by enforcing perfectly electrically conducting (PEC) boundary conditions. The framework is initially validated against analytical benchmarks using empty rectangular and circular waveguides, demonstrating high accuracy in computing cutoff wavenumbers, dispersion curves, and field maps for the first three unique modes. After validation, the solver is applied to analyze single-ridged and double-ridged waveguides. The numerical results demonstrate that introducing metallic ridges successfully redistributes the modal fields and significantly lowers the cutoff frequency of the dominant mode relative to empty rectangular guides. Ultimately, this work confirms that the generalized eigenvalue FEM formulation is a robust and adaptable tool for analyzing complex waveguide geometries where exact analytical solutions are unavailable.