Three dimensional resonant mode analysis using edge elements

A method using edge elements is presented for the computation of resonant modes in three-dimensional resonators. The main interest of edge elements for mode analysis is that all the well known spurious modes (nonphysical solutions) are automatically eliminated. Three 3-D cavity problems are presented to show the efficiency of the numerical approach. A first example (test case) is a rectangular dielectric-loaded cavity. The two other examples are microwave cavities used in atomic frequency standards: a cylindrical cavity used in hydrogen masers, and a rectangular one used in cesium beam frequency standards. Comparisons with previously published results and analytical results are performed.<>