Computational analysis of cutoff wavenumbers in rectangular waveguides filled with left-handed material and/or right-handed material

This paper investigates the cutoff wavenumbers and their geometric and dielectric dependence in rectangular waveguides filled with left-handed material (LHM) and/or right-handed material (RHM). A rigorous hybrid mode analysis of these structures produces the dispersion equations and the formulations of cutoff wavenumbers for the first three modes. It is shown how the geometric and dielectric parameters may influence the cutoff wavenumbers of the waveguides filled with LHM and/or RHM. The graphs of cutoff wavenumbers over a range of geometric and dielectric parameters sufficiently wide to cover most requirements of design and application have been plotted. The cutoff wavenumbers of waveguides with LHM increase as the thicknesses or the absolute values of permittivity of LHM increase. It is noted that the variation rules of cutoff wavenumbers in waveguides with LHM show different changing tendencies compared with the waveguides with RHM.