Scattering matrix of arbitrarily shaped objects: combining finite elements and vector partial waves

We demonstrate the interest of combining finite element calculations with the vector partial wave formulation (used in T-matrix and Mie theory) in order to characterize the electromagnetic scattering properties of isolated individual scatterers. This method consists of individually feeding the finite element problem with incident vector partial waves in order to numerically determine the T-matrix elements of the scatterer. For a sphere and a spheroid, we demonstrate that this method determines the scattering matrix to high accuracy. Recurrence relations for a fast determination of the vector partial waves are given explicitly, and an open-source code allowing the retrieval of the presented numerical results is provided. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America