MODE DEGENERACY IN CIRCULAR CYLINDRICAL RIDGE WAVEGUIDES

Studies of dual channel, polarisation agile, quad-ridge and octo-ridge feeds suggest that mode degeneracy in multi-ridge structures severely constricts operational bandwidths, for a large range of ridge dimensions. Mode characteristics in dual-ridge, quad-ridge and octo-ridge waveguide are examined in this paper, with a view to identifying both the nature of the degeneracy, and its implications for bandwidth. The results presented have been generated using a full-wave finite element electromagnetic field simulator.