Benchmarking computational electromagnetics with exact analytical solutions of canonical electromagnetic scattering problems

Solutions of canonical electromagnetic scattering problems may be used to benchmark computational electromagnetics methods. While the list of known exact analytical solutions is limited, this list extends significantly beyond classical solutions for the scattering from metallic bodies such as the sphere, the 2D metallic wedge, and the infinite circular cylinder. In fact, recently developed exact solutions exist for geometries involving cavities, sharp edges, apertures, and propagation across different media. Unfortunately, many articles discussing computational electromagnetics solutions frequently propose validations or benchmarks with geometries as simple as a sphere and then jump into comparisons with very complex objects such as a numerical model of an airplane. In such cases, validations with simpler, but yet challenging benchmarks should provide additional evidence of their accuracy. In many cases, comparisons with exact solutions for bench-marking purposes are quite straightforward to implement.