Unified integro-differential equation for efficient dispersive FDTD simulations

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to derive a unified formulation for incorporating different dispersive models into the explicit and implicit finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, dispersive integro-differential equation (IDE) FDTD formulation is presented. The resultant IDE is written in the discrete time domain by applying the trapezoidal recursive convolution and central finite differences schemes. In addition, unconditionally stable implicit split-step (SS) FDTD implementation is also discussed. Findings It is found that the time step stability limit of the explicit IDE-FDTD formulation maintains the conventional Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy (CFL) constraint but with additional stability limits related to the dispersive model parameters. In addition, the CFL stability limit can be removed by incorporating the implicit SS scheme into the IDE-FDTD formulation, but this is traded for degradation in the accuracy of the formulation. Research limitations/implications The stability of the explicit FDTD scheme is bounded not only by the CFL limit but also by additional condition related to the dispersive material parameters. In addition, it is observed that implicit JE-IDE FDTD implementation decreases as the time step exceeds the CFL limit. Practical implications Based on the presented formulation, a single dispersive FDTD code can be written for implementing different dispersive models such as Debye, Drude, Lorentz, critical point and the quadratic complex rational function. Originality/value The proposed formulation not only unifies the FDTD implementation of the frequently used dispersive models with the minimal storage requirements but also can be incorporated with the implicit SS scheme to remove the CFL time step stability constraint.