A fast-multipole domain decomposition integral equation solver for characterizing electromagnetic wave propagation in mine environments

In this work, the above-referenced 2D solver is extended to 3D, resulting in the first-ever full wave solver capable of analyzing large-scale and realistically loaded mine environments. Just like its 2D counterpart, the scheme divides long mine tunnels into short sections (subdomains) and separately characterizes EM wave propagation in each of them. To accommodate the characterization of tunnel sections tens to hundreds of wavelengths long, the 3D scheme uses a parallel surface integral equation solver accelerated by both fast multipole and fast Fourier transform methods (Taboada et. al., IEEE Antennas Propag. Mag., 51(6), 20-28, 2009). To obtain a global inter-domain solution, the scheme introduces equivalent surface currents on the air interfaces between subdomains; these currents derive from modal solutions for an unperturbed waveguide and constitute a reduced basis sets for characterizing EM wave propagation throughout the long tunnel. The method´s efficiency and applicability will be demonstrated via the simulation of communication links inside realistic mine tunnels.full wave solverEM wave propagationtunnel sections3D schemeparallel surface integral equation solverfast Fourier transform methods