Quoted from post 71 : If we look at the modal-domain wave equations (7.9), we see that [TV]−1[Z][Y][TV] is the matrix of diagonal modal propagation constants (squared). Since the matrix is diagonal, the propagation of a single mode's voltage or current does not depend on the voltages or currents of the other modes; i.e., it is decoupled from the others.
How exactly does a diagonal matrix contributes to propagation of a single mode's voltage or current does not depend on the voltages or currents of the other modes ?
You may observe this mathematically by expanding the terminal-domain wave equation (7.7) and the modal-domain wave equation (7.9).
In the terminal domain,
\[ \frac{d^2}{dz^2} \vec{V}(z) = [Z_T][Y_T]\vec{V}(z) = [\Gamma^2_T]\vec{V}(z)\]
\[ \frac{d^2}{dz^2} V_1(z) = {\Gamma^2_T}_{11}V_1(z) + {\Gamma^2_T}_{12}V_2(z) + {\Gamma^2_T}_{13}V_3(z) \dots\]
\[ \frac{d^2}{dz^2} V_2(z) = {\Gamma^2_T}_{21}V_1(z) + {\Gamma^2_T}_{22}V_2(z) + {\Gamma^2_T}_{23}V_3(z) \dots\]
etc.
while in the modal domain, the propagation constant matrix is diagonal, such that:
\[ \frac{d^2}{dz^2} \vec{V}(z) = [Z_M][Y_M]\vec{V}(z) = [\Gamma^2_M]\vec{V}(z)\]
\[ \frac{d^2}{dz^2} V_1(z) = {\Gamma^2_M}_{11}V_1(z)\]
\[ \frac{d^2}{dz^2} V_2(z) = {\Gamma^2_M}_{22}V_2(z)\]
etc.
One side question, how to use these modal-domain wave equations (7.9) to derive the ABCD parameters of unsymmetric coupled lines which are the equations (2) inside **broken link removed** ?
The wave equations aren't used directly, but one would use them to obtain the transformations from the modal domain to the terminal domain, which are then used in my post #2.
As for the paper you mentioned, it looks like they just assume certain transformation matrices [T_I] and [T_V], without discussing the nature of the modes at all (I would assume this can be found in one or more of the provided references).