Spectral-Domain Computation of Fields Radiated by Sources in Non-Birefringent Anisotropic Media

We derive the key expressions to robustly address the eigenfunction expansion-based analysis of electromagnetic (EM) fields produced by current sources within planar non-birefringent anisotropic medium (NBAM) layers. In NBAM, the highly symmetric permeability and permittivity tensors can induce directionally dependent, but polarization-independent, propagation properties supporting “degenerate” characteristic polarizations, i.e., four linearly-independent eigenvectors associated with only two (rather than four) unique, nondefective eigenvalues. We first explain problems that can arise when the source(s) specifically reside within NBAM planar layers when using canonical field expressions. To remedy these problems, we exhibit alternative spectral-domain field expressions, immune to such problems, that form the foundation for a robust eigenfunction expansion-based analysis of time-harmonic EM radiation and scattering within such type of planar-layered media. Numerical results demonstrate the high accuracy and stability achievable using this algorithm.