Combining the multilevel fast multipole method with the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction

Abstract. The presence of arbitrarily shaped and electrically large objects in the same environment leads to hybridization of the Method of Moments (MoM) with the Uniform Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (UTD). The computation and memory complexity of the MoM solution is improved with the Multilevel Fast Multipole Method (MLFMM). By expanding the k-space integrals in spherical harmonics, further considerable amount of memory can be saved without compromising accuracy and numerical speed. However, until now MoM-UTD hybrid methods are restricted to conventional MoM formulations only with Electric Field Integral Equation (EFIE). In this contribution, a MLFMM-UTD hybridization for Combined Field Integral Equation (CFIE) is proposed and applied within a hybrid Finite Element - Boundary Integral (FEBI) technique. The MLFMM-UTD hybridization is performed at the translation procedure on the various levels of the MLFMM, using a far-field approximation of the corresponding translation operator. The formulation of this new hybrid technique is presented, as well as numerical results.