Analysis of Electromagnetic Fields and Waves

The Method of Lines (MOL) is a versatile approach to obtaining numerical solutions to partial differential equations (PDEs) as they appear in dynamic and static problems. This method, popular in science and engineering, essentially reduces PDEs to a set of ordinary differential equations that can be integrated using standard numerical integration methods. Its significant advantage is that the analysis algorithms follow the physical wave propagation and are therefore efficient. This is because the fields on the discretisation lines are described by generalised transmission line (GTL) equations. With this formulation we have a connection to the well known transmission line theory and resulting in an easy understanding. The method of lines is a very accurate and powerful way to analyze electromagnetic waves, enabling a full-wave solution without the computational burden of pure finite element or finite difference methods.