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Everything about Circulator

Electronic circuit in which a signal entering any port exits at the next port

In electrical engineering, a circulator is a passive, non-reciprocal three- or four-port device that only allows a microwave or radio-frequency (RF) signal to exit through the port directly after the one it entered. Optical circulators have similar behavior. Ports are where an external waveguide or transmission line, such as a microstrip line or a coaxial cable, connects to the device. For a three-port circulator, a signal applied to port 1 only comes out of port 2; a signal applied to port 2 only comes out of port 3; a signal applied to port 3 only comes out of port 1. An ideal three-port circulator thus has the following scattering matrix: Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: CirculatorA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: Giant elastic-wave asymmetry in a linear passive circulatorInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: De motu cordisThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Sound Isolation and Giant Linear Nonreciprocity in a Compact Acoustic CirculatorCited 1,037 times
  5. Go sideways: Isolator (microwave)A closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: Joseph HelszajnA closely related topic

📖 Definitions

Noun A person or thing that causes something to circulate.

Noun A local transit system that provides regular service within a closed loop.

Noun A passive electronic component with three or more ports, in which the ports can be accessed in such a way that when a signal is fed into any port it is transferred to the next port only.

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. Theory of operation
  2. Types
  3. Non-ferrite circulators
  4. Applications

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics