Analysis of spherical hybrid modes in a corrugated conical horn

An approximate analysis of fields in a corrugated horn is considered using spherical hybrid modes. Under the special condition where the slots are about a quarter-wavelength deep, the approximations are slight in the far-field region of the horn. Solutions are presented for the lowest-order spherical hybrid modes, and a procedure is described for the determination of the horn radiation pattern. A first step in the procedure involves the calculation of the hybrid-mode field in the horn aperture. Because diffraction will be minimal in wide-angle corrugated horns, the aperture and radiation patterns should be similar when the far-field approximation applies. This feature is verified for a 120° horn making use of experimental results due to Kay.