A pseudospectral method for time-domain computation of electromagnetic scattering by bodies of revolution

Abstract

We present a multidomain pseudospectral method for the accurate and efficient time-domain computation of scattering by body-of-revolution (BOR) perfectly electrically conducting objects. In the BOR formulation of the Maxwell equations, the azimuthal dependence of the fields is accounted for analytically through a Fourier series. The numerical scheme in the (r,z) plane is developed in general curvilinear coordinates and the method of characteristics is applied for patching field values in the individual subdomains to obtain the global solution. A modified matched-layer method is used for terminating the computational domain and special attention is given to proper treatment of the coordinate singularity in the scattered field formulation and correct time-domain boundary conditions along edges. Numerical results for monochromatic plane wave scattering by smooth and nonsmooth axis-symmetric objects, including spheres, cone-spheres, and finite cylinders, is compared with results from the literature, illustrating the accuracy and computational efficiency associated with the use of properly constructed spectral methods. To emphasize the versatility of the presented framework, we compute plane wave scattering by a missile and find satisfactory agreement with method-of-moment (MoM) computations.