An efficient numerical evaluation of the Green's function for the Helmholtz operator on periodic structures (Q1104718)

Numerical methods based on boundary integral formulation require the numerical evaluation of the Green function associated with the problem. But in the case of periodic structures, Green's function is often an infinite series, which may converge slowly, making numerical evaluation expensive. A practical computer implementation of Ewald's method (1921) is shown, which speeds up dramatically the convergence of the infinite series Green's function associated with the Helmholtz operator, to solve Maxwell's equations with pseudo-periodic boundary conditions. In a region composed of different media, a coupled system of integral equations is obtained. Two series result from splitting an infinite interval of integration. A formula is given for the optimal value of the cutoff point. Numerical examples demonstrate the suitability of the employed numerical technique.