Two-dimensional diffraction in homogeneous anisotropic media

Abstract

Diffraction of electromagnetic waves from an arbitrary source by an anisotropic cylindrical structure or by a cylindrical structure in an anisotropic medium is very difficult to handle in general. But if the source is a line source parallel to (or a plane wave normally incident to) the axis of an infinitely long cylindrical structure, where the transverse anisotropy of the structure is not coupled to that of the axial, the problems simplify in many cases. In all of these cases, Maxwell's equations lead to a single differential equation with parameters and boundary conditions which depend on the individual problems. Examples given are perfectly conducting wedges and a perfectly conducting cylinder in anisotropic media. There are a few cases where the electromagnetic waves depend only on the axial property of the medium, i.e. the waves do not see the anisotropic nature of the medium.