Edge-based finite element analysis of singly- and doubly-periodic scatterers using absorbing and periodic boundary conditions

This paper presents a simple but accurate Finite Element Method (FEM) technique which is based on hexahedral parallelepiped finite elements and Whitney's edge basis functions. The technique is useful for the analysis of scattering from 1-D, 2-D, or from isolated 3-D scatterers. Numerical results are presented for a variety of such scatterers to show the usefulness of the method. The results also point to the need for the use of improved absorbing boundary conditions (ABCs) as well as of higher order basis functions when more accurate results are required. The emphasis in the proposed method is on its simplicity and versatility.