Cell-vertex Based Multigrid Solution of the Time Domain Maxwell’s Equations

The time domain Maxwell’s equations are numerically solved using a multigrid method in a scattered field formulation and a cell-vertex based finite volume time domain framework. The multilevel method is an adaptation of Ni’s [9] cell-vertex based multigrid technique, proposed for accelerating steady state convergence of nonlinear Euler equations of gas dynamics. Accelerated convergence to steady state of the time domain Maxwell’s equations, for problems involving electromagnetic scattering, is obtained using multiple grids without the use of additional numerical damping usually required in nonlinear problems. The linear nature of the Maxwell’s system also allows for a more accurate representation of the fine-grid problem on the coarse grid.