A Spectral Domain Integral Equation Method Utilizing Analytically Derived Characteristic Basis Functions for the Scattering from Large Faceted Objects

A novel technique, based on a spectral domain integral equation method with analytically derived characteristic basis functions, is introduced in this paper. It enables us to treat scattering problems from electrically large faceted bodies in a numerically rigorous and computationally efficient manner, in terms of both time and memory. The analytically derived characteristic basis functions include certain desirable features of the asymptotic schemes and are defined on subdomains that can be electrically large, not being bound to the typical discretization size of the conventional method of moments. By properly weighting through a Galerkin procedure the resulting electric field integral equation, the problem is reduced to a matrix equation having dimensions that do not depend on the size of the scatterer but only on its shape. Electrically large problems can be handled in a computationally efficient manner by using the proposed method since the associated matrix size is relatively small; moreover, all the reduced matrix elements are calculated in the spectral domain without evaluating any convolution products.