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A connection machine (CM‐2) implementation of a three‐dimensional parallel finite difference time‐domain code for electromagnetic field simulation
Author(s) -
Davidson David B.,
Ziolkowski Richard W.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
international journal of numerical modelling: electronic networks, devices and fields
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.249
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1099-1204
pISSN - 0894-3370
DOI - 10.1002/jnm.1660080307
Subject(s) - finite difference time domain method , computer science , computational electromagnetics , code (set theory) , electromagnetic field , computation , field (mathematics) , connection (principal bundle) , computational science , finite difference method , parallel computing , algorithm , software , time domain , mathematics , mathematical analysis , physics , geometry , optics , programming language , set (abstract data type) , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics , computer vision
This paper describes a parallel three‐dimensional finite difference time‐domain (FDTD) code for electromagnetic field simulation that has been developed for the Connection Machine (CM‐2). The CM‐2 is briefly discussed. Then the FDTD method is reviewed using a one‐dimensional example, and the extensions required for the 3‐D case are outlined. The parallelization of the FDTD method is considered, and a simple analytical timing model is dervied. This model predicts the efficiency of the parallelized algorithm as a function of grain size. Some specific points relating to the implementation of the parallel FDTD algorithm in Fortrans‐90 on the CM‐2 are discussed. Timing data for the parallel 3‐D FDTD code measured on a CM‐2 is presented and compared qualitatively with the theoretical model. These results are then put into perspective for a particular computations electromagnetics problem, viz. the development of software tools for full‐wave modelling of 3‐D optical devices. Finally, we draw some conclusions about this work.