Publications Details
The VOLMAX Transient Electromagnetic Modeling System, Including Sub-Cell Slots and Wires on Random Non-Orthogonal Cells
VOLMAX is a three-dimensional transient volumetric Maxwell equation solver that operates on standard rectilinear finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) grids, non-orthogonal unstructured grids, or a combination of both types (hybrid grids). The algorithm is fully explicit. Open geometries are typically solved by embedding multiple unstructured regions into a simple rectilinear FDTD mesh. The grid types are fully connected at the mesh interfaces without the need for complex spatial interpolation. The approach permits detailed modeling of complex geometry while mitigating the large cell count typical of non-orthogonal cells such as tetrahedral elements. To further improve efficiency, the unstructured region carries a separate time step that sub-cycles relative to the time-step used in the FDTD mesh.