Algorithmic Aspects and Supercomputing Trends in Computational Electromagnetics

Abstract

Accurate and rapid evaluation of radar signature for alternative aircraft/ store configurations would be of substantial benefit in the evolution of integrated designs that meet RCS requirements across the threat spectrum. Finite-volume time domain methods offer the possibility of modeling the whole aircraft, including penetrable regions and stores, at longer wavelengths on today’s supercomputers and at typical airborne radar wavelengths on the teraflop computers of tomorrow. To realize this potential, practical means must be developed for the rapid generation of grids on and around the aircraft, and numerical algorithms that maintain high order accuracy on such grids must be constructed.

A structured-grid finite-volume time domain CFD based RCS code has already been developed at the Rockwell Science Center, and this code incorporates modeling techniques for general radar absorbing materials and structures. Using this work as a base, the goal of the CFD based CEM effort is to define, implement, and evaluate various code development issues suitable for rapid prototype signature prediction addressing many issues related to 1) physics of electromagnetics, 2) efficient and higher-order accurate algorithms, 3) boundary condition procedures, 4) geometry and gridding (structured and unstructured), 5) computer architecture (SIMD and MMD), and 6) validation.