Fundamental Limits of Waves Propagating in an Inhomogeneous Multilayer Metal-Dielectric Medium

The dispersion equations have been derived for various types of orthogonally polarized waves in a five-layer dielectric medium shielded by metal screens. The dispersion characteristics of electromagnetically coupled waves propagating in two waveguide dielectric layers, isolated from each other and from the metal screens by separating and intermediate dielectric layers, have been investigated. The fundamental limits of the spectrum of fundamental, higher-order, waveguide, and reactive types of waves are determined by the relative retardation and reduced-frequency range.