《FDTD：introduction to the finite-difference time-domain method》.pdfVIP

Chapter 3 Introduction to the Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method: FDTD in 1D 3.1 Introduction The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is arguably the simplest, both conceptually and in terms of implementation, of the full-wave techniques used to solve problems in electromagnet- ics. It can accurately tackle a wide range of problems. However, as with all numerical methods, it does have its share of artifacts and the accuracy is contingent upon the implementation. The FDTD method can solve complicated problems, but it is generally computationally expensive. Solutions may require a large amount of memory and computation time. The FDTD method loosely fits into the category of “resonance region” techniques, i.e., ones in which the characteristic dimensions of the domain of interest are somewhere on the order of a wavelength in size. If an object is very small compared to a wavelength, quasi-static approximations generally provide more efficient so- lutions. Alternatively, if the wavelength is exceedingly small compared to the physical features of interest, ray-based methods or other techniques may provide a much more efficient way to solve the problem. The FDTD method employs finite differences as approximations to both the spatial and tem- poral derivatives that appear in Maxwell’s equations (specifically Ampere’s and Faraday’s laws). Consider the Taylor series expansions of the function f (x) expanded about the point x0 with an offset of ±δ/2: δ δ ′ 1 δ 2 ′′ 1 δ 3 ′′′ f x0 + = f (x ) + f (x ) + f (x ) + f (x ) + . . . , (3.1) 0 0 0 0 2 2 2! 2 3! 2 δ δ ′ 1 δ 2 ′′ 1 δ 3 ′′′ f x − = f (x