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I am using a Panasonic microwave oven for some experiments. I found that the waveguide is not placed centrally on the side wall. The waveguide flap is closer to the back wall of the cavity than it is to the door of the microwave. The turntable is, however, centrally placed. Is this usual? Why would they not place the waveguide centrally?

yds1798
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    Why would they want to place the waveguide centrally? You don't want to preferentially excite low-order symmetric modes that lead to uneven heating of the food (even with the turntable). – Jon Custer Oct 13 '23 at 18:48

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Feeding the cavity asymmetrically is one way of exciting modes besides the primary ones and thereby obtaining a more uniform energy density inside the cavity, for more uniform cooking. Even then, a turntable is still required.

The microwave I owned ~40 years ago did not have a turntable; it instead had something called a mode mixer which was a rotating flap just inside the exit of the waveguide. It "sprayed" the beam around the inside of the cavity as it revolved, and seemed to work OK.

niels nielsen
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