Modeling of bi-anisotropic media using the finite-difference time-domain method

A new class of artificial microwave material has received considerable attention in recent years. These materials can be categorized under the most general linear classification of bi-anisotropic media. An important subclass of this medium is the bi-isotropic material. The finite difference time domain (FDTD) method is a widely-used numerical approach for the analysis of electromagnetic fields and has been successfully applied to problems involving materials that exhibit many different kinds of electromagnetic behavior. In this thesis, a novel FDTD technique for modeling electromagnetic wave interactions with bi-anisotropic and bi-isotropic media is developed. The major contributions of this work can be summarized as follows. The stable and robust FDTD schemes presented herein represent a new technique for modeling electromagnetic wave interaction with bi-anisotropic media and its subclasses. This is the first time that the wavefield decomposition approach has been successfully implemented into the FDTD technique to model bi-isotropic and bi-anisotropic media. There have been no publications of extensive analysis of electromagnetic wave interactions with chiral or Tellegen media using the FDTD method to date. The dispersive formulation presented in this thesis represents pioneering work in incorporating the frequency variation of the chirality parameter into an FDTD scheme and is very useful in investigating the possible applications of dispersive chiral media and also in the understanding of electromagnetic wave phenomena within a this media. An entirely new area of research has been created through the formulation of an FDTD scheme for modeling electromagnetic wave propagation in an axially and transversely uniaxial bi-anisotropic medium.