Numerical methods in electromagnetic scattering theory

An overview is given over some of the most widely used numerical techniques for solving the electromagnetic scattering problem that start from rigorous electromagnetic theory. In particular, the theoretical foundations of the separation of variables method, the finite-difference time-domain method, the finite-element method, the method of lines, the point matching method, the method of moments, the discrete dipole approximation, and the null-field method (or extended boundary condition method) are reviewed, and the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods are discussed. Aspects concerning the T matrix formulation and the surface Green's function formulation of the electromagnetic scattering problem are addressed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.