Electromagnetic simulations use Maxwell’s equations and Faraday’s law to model electromagnetism and its effects. They aid in designing computer chips, improving electronic components, and solving engineering, acoustics, and electromagnetism problems. The finite difference time domain method (FDTD) is used for troubleshooting radar signature technologies, wireless technologies, and biomedical imaging. The partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) full-wave 3D modeling method is used for wave modeling and circuit analysis. Electromagnetic simulation software is used in college physics departments to teach students and provide real-world examples.
Using calculations approximated by Maxwell’s equations and Faraday’s law, electromagnetic simulations are models of electromagnetism and their effects on the environment and the physical structures around them. An electromagnetic simulation can be used to point a satellite antenna in the right direction for maximum channels and clarity and judge its performance or to determine wave propagation when it is not in free space. These simulations can aid in the efficient design of computer chips and indicate how to improve performance in key electronic components by locating component incompatibilities within them. Electromagnetic radiation that is collected and scattered and then absorbed by small particles is used in simulations for science projects at the laboratories of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) for their particle accelerator projects. Electromagnetic simulation programs are also used as tools in university physics laboratories to teach more effectively as students receive hands-on experience with solving problems using them.
Solving Maxwell’s equations at every point in an orthogonal or non-orthogonal grid is one way to use grids to discretize space by creating a topological survey of the space. Solving these equations in an electromagnetic simulation often reveals problems in computer memory and power since they can usually only be done on supercomputers by time-stepping for every instant of time in an entire domain, solving Maxwell’s equations as they go or split-step using time iterations and fast Fourier transforms. In fluid mechanics, the contour method or “method of moments” (MoM) can be applied to solve engineering, acoustics and electromagnetism problems. This focuses the calculations only on the boundary areas of a space rather than on the volume values at each time step of the entire space.
A kitchen microwave oven is analogous to what is known as a Faraday cage, illustrating how an electromagnetic simulation model could be helpful in electromagnetic shielding. Electric currents can be blocked by metal walls or other similar shielding devices, while magnetic currents can simply be moved around the obstruction. In the Faraday cage, when the walls of the cage are grounded, the path of an electric current is disturbed by electrons which act as electric charge carriers in a mesh pattern and compensate for the field; this causes the electric current to leak. Just as the mesh shield on the front of a microwave door prevents microwaves from escaping the device because the microwaves are larger than the tiny holes in the mesh, an electromagnetic mesh simulation can design a good shield that protects against electric currents.
An electromagnetic simulation method that solves Maxwell’s equations by passing through an electric field for one instant and then passing through a magnetic field for the next instant and alternating repeatedly over and over again is known as the finite difference time domain method (FDTD ) to produce simulations. The interaction of EM waves with material structural engineering problems has been solved by this method more than any other in the United States since about 1990. It is used to troubleshoot radar signature technologies, wireless technologies, and biomedical imaging, just to name a few of the applicable uses.
Wave modeling for electromagnetic simulation and circuit analysis can be performed using the partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) full-wave three-dimensional (3D) modeling method. The integral equations are interpreted as Kirchhoff’s voltage law and, using PEEC, are applied to a PEEC cell which provides the solution of the 3D geometries of a complete circuit, allowing additional circuits to be connected to the DC design. Using models like this in electromagnetic simulation saves time and money in integrated circuit manufacturing.
College physics departments are starting to make use of video games designed to teach students via electromagnetic simulation to visually represent the phenomena of physical representations to students. This can help students gain a better understanding of concepts and provide their brains with experiences that reveal weaknesses in their own understanding and steps they can take to strengthen them. Both students and instructors have found that faster and deeper learning can be facilitated by using real-world examples of solving physics concepts using electromagnetic simulation software.
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