Solving inverse electromagnetic problems using FDTD and gradient-based minimization

We address time-domain inverse electromagnetic scattering for determining unknown characteristics of an object from observations of the scattered field. Applications include non-destructive characterization of media and optimization of material properties, for example, the design of radar absorbing materials. Another application is model reduction where a detailed model of a complex geometry is reduced to a simplified model. The inverse problem is formulated as an optimal control problem where the cost function to be minimized is the difference between the estimated and observed fields, and the control parameters are the unknown object characteristics. The problem is solved in a deterministic gradient-based optimization algorithm using a parallel 2D FDTD scheme. Highly accurate analytical gradients are computed from the adjoint formulation. The inverse method is applied to the characterization of layered dispersive media and the determination of parameters in subcell models for thin sheets and narrow slots. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.