Study of Electromagnetic Diffraction Phenomena Immersed in Arbitrary Linear Media in Spectral Domain

Many problems in Computational Electromagnetics (CEM) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) require millions of grid cells to properly represent the physics. Advances in parallel computing, both in hardware and software, make it feasible to solve such large scale simulations in a timely manner. The objective of this paper is to describe some of the recent work at Rockwell in performing parallel computing for providing quick-turnaround solutions to problems in CFD, CEM and other computational disciplines.

In a recent invited paper in the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, some of the challenging problems in computational electromagnetics were presented. One of the objectives of this note is to simply point out that challenging to one may be simple to another. This is demonstrated through an example cited in that article. The example chosen is a Vivaldi antenna array. What we discuss here also applies to the other examples presented in that article, but we have chosen the Vivaldi antenna array to help us make our point. It is shown in this short article that a higher-order basis using a surface integral equation a la a PMCHWT (Poggio-Miller-Chu-Harrington-Wu-Tsai) method-of-moments formulation may still be the best weapon that one have in today's arsenal to deal with challenging complex electromagnetic analysis problems. Here, we have used the commercially available code WIPL-D to carry out all the computations using laptop/desktop systems. The second objective of this paper is to present an out-of-core solver. The goal is to demonstrate that an out-of-core 32-bit-system-based solver can be as efficient as a 64-bit in-core solver. This is quite contrary to the popular belief that an out-of-core solver is generally much slower than an in-core solver. This can be significant, as the difference in the cost of a 32-bit system can be 1/30 of a 64-bit system of similar capabilities using current computer architectures. For the 32-bit system, we consider a Pentium 4 system, whereas for the 64-bit system, we consider an Itanium 2 system for comparison. The out-of-core solver can go beyond the 2 GB limitation for a 32-bit system and can be run on ordinary laptop/desktop; hence, we can simultaneously have a much lower hardware investment while better performance for a sophisticated and powerful electromagnetic solver. The system resources and the CPU times are also outlined.

Recent years have seen a spectacular increase in our capability to model, simulate the performance of, and design complex electromagnetic systems. Much progress has been made in enhancing the available numerical techniques, viz., the method of moments (MoM), the finite-element method (FEM), and the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) or its variants. Great strides have recently been made in enlarging the scope of MoM via the use of the fast multipole method (FMM), which has made it feasible for us to solve problems that require the handling of 106 degrees of freedom, or even higher, and distributed processing has enabled the FDTD to handle upward of 109 degrees of freedom on a moderate-size computing platform. Despite this recent progress, many practical computational electromagnetic (CEM) modeling problems of interest present formidable challenges, and the search for numerically efficient techniques to solve large problems involving complex structures continues unabated. The objectives of this paper are to identify some of these challenging problems encountered by the author during the last five years, and to present the results of application of a technique called CBFM - developed at the EMC Laboratory at Penn State - that has been found useful for addressing them.

Maxwell's equations are valid from the atomic to intergalactic length scales. Hence, features at various spatial or temporal scales may all be significant in electromagnetic (EM) problems of interest and may affect the results of multiscale modeling and simulation in computational electromagnetics (CEM). Solving electromagnetic problems that involve multiscale structures efficiently is challenging and is of growing interest in CEM. In recent decades, various approaches have been proposed for addressing the multiscale issue of electrically large problems. These methods can be roughly categorized into three types: the “geometry‐based,” “algebra‐based,” and “physics‐based” approaches. In this chapter, we introduce these three representative approaches for modeling multiscale problems in CEM: (1) the discontinuous Galerkin integral equation method (DGIE), which is a general domain decomposition framework for dealing with structures with mesh nonconformity; (2) the nested dissection accelerated H‐LU‐based fast direct solver for sparse matrices, which is used to construct effective preconditioners; and (3) the resistive sheet boundary condition‐based hybrid finite element‐boundary integral‐multilevel fast multipole algorithm (FE–BI–MLFMA), which can simulate electromagnetic field interactions with microwave‐absorbing honeycomb structures efficiently. After we present the formulation for each approach, we present examples to demonstrate its accuracy, capability, and performance.

Computation of scattering by large, complex, composite targets is one of most challenging problems in computational electromagnetics (CEM). A formulation of hybrid FE/BI/MLFMA is presented for this kind of problem. The numerical performance of the hybrid FE/BI/MLFMA is investigated by computation of a conducting sphere coated with anisotropic material and a conducting brick with deep material-filled cavity.

Surface-integral-equation (SIE) approaches are presented for the accurate solution of different problems in computational electromagnetics. First, an efficient message passing interface (MPI)/OpenMP parallel implementation of the multilevel fast multipole algorithm-fast Fourier transform (MLFMA-FFT) is presented for the solution of large-scale conducting bodies. Second, looking for the extension of these rigorous approaches to new demanded areas, the SIE method is successfully applied to the solution of left-handed metamaterials and plasmonic nanostructures.

Electromagnetic wave scattering from large and complex bodies is currently the most challenging problem in computational electromagnetics. There is an increasing need for more efficient algorithms with reduced computational complexity and memory requirements. In this work we solve the problem of electromagnetic wave scattering involving three-dimensional, homogeneous, arbitrarily shaped dielectric objects. The fast multipole method (FMM) is used along with the algebraic multigrid (AMG) method, that is employed as a preconditioner, in order to accelerate the convergence rate of the Krylov iterations. Our experimental results suggest much faster convergence compared to the non preconditioned FMM, and hence significant reduction to the overall computation time.

This paper presents a new multiphysic model and simulation environment for the fast calculation and analysis of acoustic noise and vibration levels due to Maxwell forces in variable-speed rotating electrical machines. In the first part, some numerical methods for the prediction of electromagnetic noise are analyzed and compared to analytical or semi analytical techniques. In the second part, a new coupling of electrical, electromagnetic and vibro-acoustic models based on analytical and semi-analytical modeling techniques is presented. This model is validated by comparing simulation results to experimental results on several electrical machines at variable speed, including surface permanent magnet (SPMSM), interior permanent magnet (IPMSM) and squirrel cage induction machines (SCIM). The main resonances and noise levels are correctly estimated by the models implemented in MANATEE® simulation software, and the calculation time at variable speed varies from one second to a few minutes including harmonics up to 20 kHz.

This publication documents the proceedings of the first Workshop on Computational Electromagnetics (CEM) and Applications, hosted by the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE) and the NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, 29-31 May, 1996, and attended by approximately 70 people from academia, government laboratories, and industry. ICASE's charter mission in 1972 remains today - to explore novel computer environments (vector in the 1970s; parallel in the 1990s) for scientific computing. These proceedings provide a necessary foundation for symposia in computational electromagnetics for future aerospace applications. The objectives of this CEM Workshop were to provide a forum for many of the leaders of the community to assess the state of CEM technology and to discuss areas of research for future programmatic planning activities. Workshop sessions included topics on optimization, industrial applications, algorithms, and a special panel session was provided during which issues were discussed and future research areas were identified. Hopefully, this publication will stimulate and improve communication among multidisciplinary researchers as well as highlighting several CEM areas that need improvement - especially for highly challenging problems. The two most important criteria in the selection of speakers for the workshop were their substantial contribution to large-scale CEM problems and their ability to articulate the issues confronting the CEM research community. Based on the results obtained, it is anticipated that this publication will be useful to government, industry, and university researchers to plan future research tasks in CEM analytical methods and applications.

This study investigates and evaluates applications of the adjoint problem and its solution in frequency-domain computational electromagnetics (CEM). The study establishes and validates adjoint-based applications including higher order parameter sampling, a posteriori error estimate evaluation, and p- and h-refinements. These applications can improve the efficiency, automation, and robustness of CEM methods. We employ a 1-D finite-element-method scattering solver, simplifying the implementation, replicability, clarity, and intuitiveness of analysis results and conclusions, which then extend naturally to higher dimensional solvers and more complicated CEM problems. While demonstrated with a higher order solver, the derived techniques apply to low-order methodology as well. This is the first demonstration of the applicability of adjoint-based a posteriori error estimation techniques to adaptive discretization refinement in frequency-domain CEM with arbitrary-order basis functions. This work introduces the application of dual-weighted residual error estimation and selective adaptivity based on error cancellation. The proposed targeted, adaptive mesh/model p- and/or h-refinement heuristics informed by adjoint element-wise error contribution estimates show near-monotonic reduction of the quantity-of-interest error with increased numbers of refined elements. In general, adjoint techniques are underutilized in CEM, and another goal of this work is to promote their future use for refinement, optimization, and uncertainty quantification.

This paper describes how asymptotic techniques can be used in the analysis of data from the stress concentration region at the root of a parabolic notch in a thin plate. Three kinds of data are considered: (i) surface strain values from along the notch boundary, (ii) the sum of principal stresses or strains at interior points and (iii) the difference of principal stress or strains at interior points. The merits of the techniques are critically assessed.

The electromagnetic field and force calculations on a metallic disc, placed above two series opposing concentric coils, is difficult since the integrodifferential equations are involved and do not yield a closed form solution. Several analytical, semi-analytical and numerical techniques based on FEM are already developed to find the magnetic fields and forces on the disc which is coaxial with the coils. A new approach to solving the integrodifferential equations by mathematical formulation using Finite Difference method (FDM) has been proposed to calculate the magnetic fields due to induced eddy currents and the electromagnetic force on the disc by discretization of the disc into several curvilinear meshes. The axial position of floating disc and maximum lateral displacement of the disc when it moves away from the axis of coils due to any disturbance has been analyzed in this paper. A MATLAB program has been developed to calculate these fields and force on the disc. The axial floating position of the disc is determined by the electromagnetic force (lift force) developed on the disc and the maximum lateral displacement of the disc from the radial component of force.

The authors' teaching experiences with numerical techniques in computational electromagnetics are described. Course descriptions and objectives are discussed, as well as their relationship to engineering practice.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

We study the threshold conditions for the natural modes of the microsize plasmonic laser shaped as an infinite flat graphene strip grating symmetrically embedded into the gain-material layer, in the H-polarization case. For this purpose, we solve the lasing eigenvalue problem (LEP), which is a classical source-free electromagnetic field boundary-value problem, adapted to the presence of the active region by the corresponding sign of the imaginary part of the refractive index. In such a way we look for the eigenpairs, i.e. the stimulated emission real-valued frequency and the threshold gain index, specific to each mode. We transform LEP to a hypersingular integral equation for the on-strip current density and discretize it by the regularizing Galerkin technique. This procedure leads to a determinantal equation with guaranteed convergence to the exact LEP eigenpairs and controlled accuracy of their computation. The numerical analysis allows us to study the threshold conditions for various lasing modes of the microsize laser, identify them and trace their change when varying the parameters of the lasing structure.This article is part of the theme issue 'Analytically grounded full-wave methods for advances in computational electromagnetics'.

Numerical and analytical techniques are presented that allow three-dimensional, asymmetric, refractive index fields to be reconstructed from optical pathlength measurements, which can be obtained using multidirectional holographic interferometry. Analytical reconstruction techniques that have been used in radioaptronomy and electron microscopy for a number of years, and recently in interferometry, are presented in the context of interferometric applications in the refractionless limit. These techniques require that optical pathlength data be collected over a 180 degrees angle of view. The required pathlength sampling rate is discussed. An efficient numerical procedure is developed for direct inversion of the data. Several numerical techniques are developed that do not require that data be collected over a full 180 degrees angle of view. All such techniques require redundant data to achieve accurate reconstructions. The required degree of redundancy increases as the angle of view decreases. Numerical simulations using six different reconstruction techniques indicate that with a 180 degrees angle of view, all are capable of providing accurate reconstructions. Four of the techniques were used to analyze simulated interferometric data recorded over an angle of view of less than 180 degrees . Examples of reasonably accurate reconstructions using data with angles of view as low as 45 degrees are presented.