Antennas and propagation in the presence of metamaterials and other complex media: Computational electromagnetic advances and challenges

There have been significant advances in computational electromagnetics (CEM) in the last decade for a variety of antennas and propagation problems. Improvements in single frequency techniques including the finite element method (FEM), the fast mulitipole moment (FMM) method, and the method of moments (MoM) have led to significant simulation capabilities on basic computing platforms. Similar advances have occurred with time domain methods including finite difference time domain (FDTD) methods, time domain integral equation (TDIE) methods, and time domain finite element (TD-FEM) methods. Very complex radiating and scattering structures in the presence of complex materials have been modeled with many of these approaches. Many commercial products have been made available through the efforts of many individuals. The CEM simulators have enabled virtual EM test ranges that have led to dramatic improvements in our understanding of antennas and propagation in complex environments and to the realization of many of their important applications.