The diffraction of electromagnetic radiation by a hole small compared with the wave-length is treated theoretically. A complete solution is found satisfying Maxwell's equations and the boundary conditions everywhere (Section 4). The solution holds for a circular hole in a perfectly conducting plane screen, but it is believed that the method will be applicable to much more general problems (Section 8). The method is based on the use of fictitious magnetic charges and currents in the diffracting hole which has the advantage of automatically satisfying the boundary conditions on the conducting screen. The charges and currents are adjusted so as to give the correct tangential magnetic, and normal electric, field in the hole. The result (Section 5) is completely different from that of Kirchhoff's method, giving for the diffracted electric and magnetic field values which are smaller in the ratio (radius of the hole/wave-length) (Section 6). The diffracted field can be considered as caused by a magnetic moment in the plane of the hole, and an electric moment perpendicular to it (Section 6). The theory is applied to the problem of mutual excitation of cavities coupled by small holes (Section 9). This leads to equations very similar to those for ordinary coupled circuits. The phase and amplitude relations of two coupled cavities are not uniquely determined, but there are two modes of oscillation, of slightly different frequency, for which these relations are opposite (Section 10). The problem of stepping up the excitation from one cavity to another is treated (Section 11).

• Received 26 January 1942

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.66.163