Concurrent algorithms for EM field mapping of passive microwave circuits

At microwave frequencies, commonly used transmission media are waveguides and microstrip lines. Various numerical methods based on classical sequential processing are available to characterize these media. The authors describe some recent work carried out by the Microwave Research Group at QUB into concurrent algorithms for the mapping of electromagnetic field patterns associated with general topology passive microwave circuits. Arrays of transputers are used in order to provide (a) computational speed up and, (b) approximate physical mapping of the problem domain under investigation. Three algorithms are described, the first two are for electrostatic solutions and are based on probabilistic potential techniques using Monte Carlo simulation techniques and the third, a two-dimensional dynamic method is based on the lumped circuit analogies that exist for Maxwell´s equations