Abstract
Experimental evidence is reported on the control of the directionality of guided electromagnetic microwaves
by the polarization of the exciting wave. Experiments are conducted using a two-dimensional waveguide made
of two parallel aluminum plates. The upper plate, which has a linear array of holes, is externally illuminated by a
polarized wave whose incident wavevector is contained within the mirror-symmetry plane defined by the linear
array. Surprisingly, the measurements show that the propagation inside the waveguide is highly asymmetrical,
and it is controlled by the polarization of the incoming wave. This extraordinary phenomenon is explained in
terms of a simple model involving a set of dipoles that are excited at the hole positions. Our finding provides a
powerful method to sort different polarizations of a free-space beam to different propagation directions of guided
electromagnetic waves.
