Authors: Jean-Pierre Bérenger
Source: FERMAT, Volume 9, Article 4, May_Jun, 2015
Abstract: This paper reviews the absorbing boundary conditions (ABCs) used in the past 40-45 years to solve open problems with such numerical techniques as the finite difference or the finite element methods. Numerous ABCs have been proposed over the years in the various domains of Physics. The review is limited to the local ABCs that have been used in numerical electromagnetics, even if some were initially introduced in acoustics. More specifically, the review addresses the ABCs used before 1994, which were mainly analytical ABCs, the Perfectly Matched Layer (PML), used in the past 20 years, and the recently introduced Huygens ABC (HABC). The ABCs are briefly described, with an emphasis on their drawbacks and limitations. A special attention is paid to the absorption of the evanescent waves which is a critical question in the matter of ABCs.
Index Terms: Absorbing Boundary Condition, ABC, PML, Numerical Method, Electromagnetics, FDTD, FEM.
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A Historical Review of the Absorbing Boundary Conditions for Electromagnetics