Piecewise linear recursive convolution for dispersive media using FDTD

Abstract

Electromagnetic propagation through linear dispersive media can be analyzed using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method by employing the recursive convolution (RC) approach to evaluate the discrete time convolution of the electric field and the dielectric susceptibility function. The RC approach results in a fast and computationally efficient algorithm; however, the accuracy achieved is not generally as good as that obtained with other methods. A new piecewise linear recursive convolution (PLRC) method is described here that has greatly improved accuracy over the original RC approach but retains its speed and efficiency advantages.