Iterative Solution of Waveguide Discontinuity Problems

The analysis of waveguide discontinuities, for application to the design of antennas and microwave networks, continues to offer challenging problems in electromagnetic theory and microwave engineering. Thus far, the solution of these problems has depended to a large extent 011 various approximate techniques, such as variational and quasistatic methods, 1 which are extremely useful but nevertheless limited in applicability. The shortcomings of classical analysis have been surmounted to a large extent by our ability to solve electromagnetic boundary value problems by numerical methods, making extensive use of digital computers. Computational techniques are not only an abundant source of engineering data, which might otherwise require elaborate construction and experiment, but they can also provide a unique analytical laboratory in which to evaluate approximate theoretical methods under easily controlled conditions. In this paper, we shall be concerned with these numerical methods as they apply to certain waveguide discontinuity problems. 649