Computational Electromagnetics

This 2-day course teaches the basics of CEM with application examples. Fundamental concepts in the solution of EM radiation and scattering problems are presented. Emphasis is on applying computational methods to practical applications. You will develop a working knowledge of popular methods such as the FEM, MOM, FDTD, FIT, and TLM including asymptotic and hybrid methods. Students will then be able to identify the most relevant CEM method for various applications, avoid common user pitfalls, understand model validation and correctly interpret results. Students are encouraged to bring their laptop to work examples using the provided FEKO Lite code. You will learn the importance of model development and meshing, post- processing for scientific visualization and presentation of results. Participants will receive a complete set of notes, a copy of FEKO.We recommend you obtain a copy of the textbook Computational Electromagnetics for RF and Mircrowave Engineering by David B. Davidson but it is not required.

• A review of electromagnetics and antennas with modern applications.
• An overview of popular CEM methods with commercial codes as examples
• Hands-on experience with FEKO Lite to demonstrate modeling guidelines and common pitfalls.
• An understanding of the latest developments in CEM methods and High Performance Computing.
• From this course you will obtain the knowledge to become a more expert user, use the best code for specific applications, interact meaningfully with colleagues, evaluate accuracy for practical applications, and understand the literature.

1. Maxwell’s Equations. Surface Equivalence Principle, Duality and Huygens Principle.
2. Basic Concepts in Antenna Theory. Gain/Directivity, apertures, reciprocity.
3. Basic Concepts in Scattering Theory. Radar cross section frequency dependence.
4. Antenna Systems. Various antenna types, array antennas, periodic structures and electromagnetic symmetry, and beam steering.
5. Overview of Computational Methods in Electromagnetics. Introduction to frequency and time domain methods. Compare and contrast differential/ volume and surface/integral methods with popular commercial codes as examples (adjusted to class interests).
6. Finite Element Method Tutorial. Mathematical basis and algorithms with application to electromagnetics (adjusted to class mathematical background). Orbital debris.
7. Method of Moments Tutorial. Mathematical basis and algorithms (adjusted to class mathematical background). Implementation and examples using FEKO Lite.
8. Finite Difference Time Domain Tutorial. Mathematical basis and algorithm implementations (adjusted to class mathematical background).
9. Transmission Line Matrix Method. Overview and algorithms.
10. Finite Integration Technique. Overview.
11. Asymptotic Methods. Scattering mechanisms and high frequency approximations.
12. Hybrid Methods. Overview and FEKO examples.
13. High Performance Computing. Overview of parallel methods and examples.
14. Summary. With emphasis on practical applications and intelligent decision making.
15. Questions and FEKO examples. Adjusted to class problems of interest.

Dr. Keefe Coburn is a senior design engineer with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi MD. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the VA Polytechnic Institute with Masters and Doctoral Degrees from the George Washington University. In his job at the Army Research Lab, he applies CEM tools for antenna design, system integration and system performance analysis. He teaches graduate courses at the Catholic University of America in antenna and remote sensing. He is a member of the IEEE, the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society, the Union of Radio Scientists and Sigma Xi. He serves on the Configuration Control Board for the Army developed GEMACS code and the ACES Board of Directors.