WG - Wave Guide

By: Diane Shired, CTM

Meaning of WG - "Wave Guide”, is a metal tube or pipe used as a path to guide microwave communications, broadcasting and radar installations. WG can carry waves over a wide electromagnetic area, and are very useful in the microwave and optical frequency ranges. However, there is a cutoff frequency, therefore if the wave guide is too narrow or the frequency is too low the electromagnetic fields cannot work. Any frequency above the cutoff works very well.

WG’s are use to transfer both power and communication signals. They are constructed in several shapes and from several types of materials. WG's consist of hollow rectangular or cylindrical shapes. The material type can be "conductive" (referring to heat, electrical or nerve conduction) which is a scientific term or "dielectric" (a substance that is highly resistant to the flow of electric current).

Other Related Definitions:

“Dielectric waveguide.
Filled with dielectric material (air, glass, or plastic) surrounded by another dielectric material. An example of a dielectric waveguide is an optical fiber. Closed waveguide. A closed metal tube that may or may not be filled with dielectric material. Supports a number of propagation modes. Has no radiation field. Slotted waveguide. Used for radar.

Waveguide Propagation Modes

The electromagnetic field travels along the waveguide lengthwise in various ways. The two most common the waveguides use are:

Transverse-magnetic. The magnetic lines are at right angles to the waveguide's axis.

Transverse-electric. The electric lines are at right angles to the waveguide's axis.
Both work well as long as the inside of the waveguide is kept dry and clean.

A Well-Behaved Waveguide
If you intend on selecting your own waveguide to build your own application, know that a waveguide must be the right length and diameter for the signal's wavelength. The frequency must also be set correctly for the waveguide. If the frequency is set too low or if the waveguide is too skinny, the electromagnetic waves won't travel, which means your device won't work properly.” [AboutConstruction - By Margaret Dilloway]

“Methods and apparatus are disclosed for forming annular lesions in tissue. The methods include introduction of an optical apparatus proximate to a tissue site, via, for example, a catheter. The optical apparatus includes a pattern-forming optical wave guide in communication with a light transmitting optical fiber. Energy is transmitted through the optical fiber, such that radiation is propagated through the optical fiber and the wave guide projects an annular light pattern, e.g., a circle or a halo.” [FreePatentsOnline - United States Patent 6953457 ]

Related Links:

K-TEK - Wave guide for steam appliances
Computer Simulation Technology - Conductor Backed Coplanar Wave Guide
Wave-Guide.org - EMF/RFR Bioeffects and Public Safety

Technical Resources:

Wave Guide Information and Links to Resources
Wave-guide: Atom Reflection in a Tapered Magnetic Guide
E+M Rectangular Wave Guide Applet

Products and Solutions:

A Wave Guide
Deployable Waveguide
WAVEGUIDES
Waveguide Components

Blogs, News, Feeds, Discussion Lists:

Howard Tayler - Best
HT Guide
Microwave ovens
Technical Sales Job Blog

Books About:

Ridge Waveguides and Passive Microwave Filters (Iee Electromagnetic Waves Series, 49) - by J. Helszajn
Waveguide Components for Antenna Feed Systems: Theory and CAD (Artech House Antennas and Propagation Library) - by J. Uher, J. Bornemann, Uwe Rosenberg
Introduction to Optical Waveguide Analysis: Solving Maxwell's Equation and the Schrdinger Equation - by Kenji Kawano, Tsutomu Kitoh
Electromagnetic Waveguides: Theory and Application (Ieee Electromagnetic Waves Series) - by S. F. Mahmoud

See Also:

Othere WG Related Resources

 

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