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In this paper, we shall show that the vector-scalar potential ($\mathbf{A}$-$\Phi$) formulation, for many problems, can be further simplified by ignoring the scalar potential contribution and setting it to zero.

Potential-based formulation with generalized Lorenz gauge can be used in the quantization of electromagnetic fields in inhomogeneous media. However, one often faces the redundancy of modes when finding eigenmodes from potential-based formulation. In free space, this can be explained by the connection to the well-known Helmholtz decomposition. In this work, we generalize the Helmholtz decomposition to its generalized form, echoing the use of generalized Lorenz gauge in inhomogeneous media. We formulate electromagnetics eigenvalue problems using vector potential formulation which is often used in numerical quantization. The properties of the differential operators are mathematically analyzed. Orthogonality relations between the two classes of modes are proved in both continuous and discrete space. Completeness of two sets of modes and the orthogonality relations are numerically validated in inhomogeneous anisotropic media. This work serves as a foundation for numerical quantization of electromagnetic fields in inhomogeneous media with potential-based formulation.

Inverse scattering involving microwave and ultrasound waves require numerical solution of nonlinear optimization problem. To alleviate the computational burden of a full three-dimensional (3-D) inverse problem, it is a common practice to approximate the object as two-dimensional (2-D) and treat the transmitter and receiver sensors as 3-D, through a Fourier integration of 2-D modes of scattering. The resulting integral is singular, and hence requires a prohibitively large number of integration points, where each point corresponds to a 2-D solution. To reduce the computational complexity, this paper proposes fast integration approaches by a set of transformations. We model the object in 2-D but the transmit and receiver pairs as 3-D; hence, we term the solution as a 2.5-D inverse problem. Convergence results indicate that the proposed integration techniques have exponential convergence and hence have a reduces the computational complexity to compute 2.5-D Green's function to solve inverse scattering problems., Comment: Submitted to IEEE JMMCT

An efficient numerical solver for the A-Phi formulation in electromagnetics based on the discrete exterior calculus (DEC) is proposed in this paper. The A-Phi formulation is immune to low-frequency breakdown and ideal for broadband and multi-scale analysis. The generalized Lorenz gauge is used in this paper, which decouples the A equation and the Phi equation. The A-Phi formulation is discretized by using the DEC, which is the discretized version of the exterior calculus in differential geometry. In general, DEC can be viewed as a generalized version of the finite difference method, where Stokes' theorem and Gauss's theorem are naturally preserved. Furthermore, compared with finite difference method, where rectangular grids are applied, DEC can be implemented with unstructured mesh schemes, such as tetrahedral meshes. Thus, the proposed DEC A-Phi solver is inherently stable, free of spurious solutions and can capture highly complex structures efficiently. In this paper, the background knowledge about the A-Phi formulation and DEC is introduced, as well as technical details in implementing the DEC A-Phi solver with different boundary conditions. Numerical examples are provided for validation purposes as well.

We present a numerical study on the super-resolution of quantum phase sensing and ghost imaging systems operating with multimode N00N states beyond the Rayleigh diffraction limit. Our computational simulations are based on the canonical quantization via numerical mode-decomposition (CQ-NMD) [1,2], in which normal (eigen) modes of electromagnetic fields in inhomogeneous dielectric media are numerically found using computational electromagnetics methods. In the CQ-NMD framework and the Heisenberg picture, the expectation value of arbitrary observables with respect to initial quantum states of various non-classical lights can be evaluated with the use of Wick's theorem. The present numerical framework has a great potential to deal with scattering problems of entangled photons due to arbitrary dielectric objects.

The lecture notes document the mathematical theory of microwave and optical waveguides. We start with reviewing preliminary background from Maxwell's equations. Then we discuss hollow waveguides, and inhomogeneously-filled waveguides, coupling of waveguides and cavities, discontinuities in waveguides. We will also cover optical waveguides such as optical fibers, as well as microwave integrated circuits. We end by discussing introductory soliton concepts. It is intended for graduate students who have had a first course in graduate electromagnetic theory., Comment: These lecture notes were prepared for ECE 531, Waveguide Theory course at the U of Illinois. The Preface was updated on July 29, 2021

We present a new math-physics modeling approach, called canonical quantization with numerical mode-decomposition, for capturing the physics of how incoming photons interact with finite-sized dispersive media, which is not describable by the previous Fano-diagonalization methods. The main procedure is to (1) study a system where electromagnetic (EM) fields are coupled to non-uniformly distributed Lorentz oscillators in Hamiltonian mechanics, (2) derive a generalized Hermitian eigenvalue problem for conjugate pairs in coordinate space, (3) apply computational electromagnetics methods to find a countably/finite set of time-harmonic eigenmodes that diagonalizes the Hamiltonian, and (4) perform the subsequent canonical quantization with mode-decomposition. Moreover, we provide several numerical simulations that capture the physics of full quantum effects, impossible by classical Maxwell's equations, such as non-local dispersion cancellation of an entangled photon pair and Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect in a dispersive beam splitter., Comment: submitted to Physical Review A (under review)

It is known that both linear and nonlinear optical phenomena can be produced when the plasmon in metallic nanostructures are excited by the external electromagnetic waves. In this work, a coupled system of Maxwell equations and a gas dynamic model including a quantum pressure term is employed to simulate the plasmon dynamics of free electron fluid in different metallic nanostructures using a discontinuous Galerkin method in two dimensions. Numerical benchmarks demonstrate that the proposed numerical method can simulate both the high order harmonic generation and the nonlocal effect from metallic nanostructures. Based on the switch-on-and-off investigation, we can conclude that the quantum pressure term in gas dynamics is responsible for the bulk plasmon resonance. In addition, for the dielectric-filled nano-cavity, a coupled effective polarization model is further adopted to investigate the optical behavior of bound electrons. Concerning the numerical setting in this work, a strengthened influence of bound electrons on the generation of high order harmonic waves has been observed., Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures

In this paper, we perform a numerical analysis in frequency domain for various electromagnetic problems based on discrete exterior calculus (DEC) with an arbitrary 2-D triangular or 3-D tetrahedral mesh. We formulate the governing equations in terms of DEC for 3D and 2D inhomogeneous structures, and also show that the charge continuity relation is naturally satisfied. Then we introduce effective signed dual volume to incorporate material information into Hodge star operators and take into account the case when circumcenters fall outside triangles or tetrahedrons, which may lead to negative dual volume without Delaunay triangulation. Then we demonstrate the implementation of various boundary conditions, including perfect magnetic conductor (PMC), perfect electric conductor (PEC), Dirichlet, periodic, and absorbing boundary conditions (ABC) within this method. An excellent agreement is achieved through the numerical calculation of several problems, including homogeneous waveguides, microstructured fibers, photonic crystals, scattering by a 2-D PEC, and resonant cavities., Comment: 41 pages with 19 figures. Briefly presented in IEEE APS 2016 meeting

The dissipative quantum electromagnetics is introduced in a comprehensive manner as a field-matter-bath coupling problem. First, the matter is described by a cluster of Lorentz oscillators. Then the Maxwellian free field is coupled to the Lorentz oscillators to describe a frequency dispersive medium. The classical Hamiltonian is derived for such a coupled system, using Lorenz gauge and decoupled scalar and vector potential formulations. The classical equations of motion are derivable from the Hamiltonian using Hamilton equations. Then the Hamiltonian is quantized with all the pertinent variables with the introduction of commutators between the variables and their conjugate pairs. The quantum equations of motion can be derived using the quantum Hamilton equations. It can be shown that such a quantization scheme preserves the quantum commutators introduced. Then a noise bath consisting of simple harmonic oscillators is introduced and coupled to the matter consisting of Lorentz oscillators to induce quantum loss. Langevin source emerges naturally in such a procedure, and it can be shown that the results are consistent with the fluctuation dissipation theorem, and the quantization procedure of Welsch's group. The advantage of the present procedure is that no diagonalization of the Hamiltonian is necessary to arrive at the quantum equations of motion. Finally, we apply the quantization scheme to model spontaneous emission of a two-level polarized atom placed above a dielectric cylinder that supports a bound state in the continuum., Comment: 16 page, 3 figure

Plasmonic nanostructures that support surface plasmon (SP) resonance potentially provide a route for the development of nanoengineered nonlinear optical devices. In this work, second-order nonlinear light scattering, specifically sum-frequency generation (SFG) and second-harmonic generation (SHG), from plasmonic nanoantennas is modeled by the boundary element method (BEM). Far-field scattering patterns are compared with the results calculated by the Mie theory to validate the accuracy of the developed nonlinear solver. The SFG from a multi-resonant nanoantenna (MR-NA) and the SHG from a particle-in-cavity nanoantenna (PIC-NA) are analyzed by using the developed method. Enhancements of the scattering signals due to double-resonance of the MR-NA and gap plasmonic mode of the PIC-NA are observed. Unidirectional nonlinear radiation for the PIC-NA is realized. Moreover, its emission direction can be controlled by the location of the nanosphere. This work provides new theoretical tools and design guidelines for plasmonic nonlinear nanoantennas.

A novel unified Hamiltonian approach is proposed to solve Maxwell-Schrodinger equation for modeling the interaction between classical electromagnetic (EM) fields and particles. Based on the Hamiltonian of electromagnetics and quantum mechanics, a unified Maxwell-Schrodinger system is derived by the variational principle. The coupled system is well-posed and symplectic, which ensures energy conserving property during the time evolution. However, due to the disparity of wavelengths of EM waves and that of electron waves, a numerical implementation of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to the multiscale coupled system is extremely challenging. To overcome this difficulty, a reduced eigenmode expansion technique is first applied to represent the wave function of the particle. Then, a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) governing the time evolution of the slowly-varying expansion coefficients are derived to replace the original Schrodinger equation. Finally, Maxwell's equations represented by the vector potential with a Coulomb gauge, together with the ODEs, are solved self-consistently. For numerical examples, the interaction between EM fields and a particle is investigated for both the closed, open and inhomogeneous electromagnetic systems. The proposed approach not only captures the Rabi oscillation phenomenon in the closed cavity but also captures the effects of radiative decay and shift in the open free space. After comparing with the existing theoretical approximate models, it is found that the approximate models break down in certain cases where a rigorous self-consistent approach is needed. This work is helpful for the EM simulation of emerging nanodevices or next-generation quantum electrodynamic systems., Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures, Computer Physics Communications, 2017

Volterra series representation is a powerful mathematical model for nonlinear circuits. However, the difficulties in determining higher-order Volterra kernels limited its broader applications. In this work, a systematic approach that enables a convenient extraction of Volterra kernels from X-parameters is presented. A concise and general representation of the output response due to arbitrary number of input tones is given. The relationship between Volterra kernels and X-parameters is explicitly formulated. An efficient frequency sweep scheme and an output frequency indexing scheme are provide. The least square linear regression method is employed to separate different orders of Volterra kernels at the same frequency, which leads to the obtained Volterra kernels complete. The proposed Volterra series representation based on X-parameters is further validated for time domain verification. The proposed method is systematic and general-purpose. It paves the way for time domain simulation with X-parameters and constitutes a powerful supplement to existing blackbox macro-modeling methods for nonlinear circuits.

Second-harmonic (SH) generation is tremendously important for nonlinear sensing, microscopy and communication system. One of the great challenges of current designs is to enhance the SH signal and simultaneously tune its radiation direction with a high directivity. In contrast to the linear plasmonic scattering dominated by a bulk dipolar mode, a complex surface-induced multipolar source at the doubled frequency sets a fundamental limit to control the SH radiation from metallic nanostructures. In this work, we harness plasmonic hybridization mechanism together with a special selection rule governing the SH radiation to achieve the high-intensity and tunable-direction emission by a metallic particle-in-cavity nanoantenna (PIC-NA). The nanoantenna is modelled with a first-principle, self-consistent boundary element method, which considers the depletion of pump waves. The giant SH enhancement arises from a hybridized gap plasmon resonance between the small particle and the large cavity that functions as a concentrator and reflector. Centrosymmetry breaking of the PIC-NA not only modifies the gap plasmon mode boosting the SH signal, but also redirects the SH wave with a unidirectional emission. The PIC-NA has a significantly larger SH conversion efficiency compared to existing literature. The main beam of the radiation pattern can be steered over a wide angle by tuning the particle's position., Comment: 8 pages, 11 figures

We design a photonic sphere-array nanoantenna (NA) exhibiting both strong directionality and wavelength selectivity. Although the geometric configuration of the photonic NA resembles a plasmonic Yagi-Uda NA, it has different working principles, and most importantly, reduces the inherent metallic loss from plasmonic elements. For any selected optical wavelength, a sharp Fano-resonance by the reflector is tunable to overlap spectrally with a wider dipole resonance by the sphere-chain director leading to the high directionality. The work provides design principles for directional and selective photonic NAs, which is particularly useful for photon detection and spontaneous emission manipulation., Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures

We developed a novel universal eigenvalue analysis for 2D arbitrary nanostructures comprising dispersive and lossy materials. The complex dispersion relation (or complex Bloch band structure) of a metallic grating is rigorously calculated by the proposed algorithm with the finite-difference implementation. The abnormally large group velocity is observed at a plasmonic band edge with a large attenuation constant. Interestingly, we found the abnormal group velocity is caused by the leaky (radiation) loss not by metallic absorption (Ohmic) loss. The periodically modulated surface of the grating significantly modifies the original dispersion relation of the semi-infinite dielectric-metal structure and induces the extraordinarily large group velocity, which is different from the near-zero group velocity at photonic band edge. The work is fundamentally important to the design of plasmonic nanostructures., Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures

Conventional electric field integral equation based theory is susceptible to the spurious internal resonance problem when the characteristic modes of closed perfectly conducting objects are computed iteratively. In this paper, we present a combined field integral equation based theory to remove the difficulty of internal resonances in characteristic mode analysis. The electric and magnetic field integral operators are shown to share a common set of non-trivial characteristic pairs (values and modes), leading to a generalized eigenvalue problem which is immune to the internal resonance corruption. Numerical results are presented to validate the proposed formulation. This work may offer efficient solutions to characteristic mode analysis which involves electrically large closed surfaces.

Characteristic mode (CM) analysis poses challenges in computational electromagnetics (CEM) as it calls for efficient solutions of dense generalized eigenvalue problems (GEP). Multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) can greatly reduce the computational complexity and memory cost for matrix-vector product operations, which is powerful in iteratively solving large scattering problems. In this article, we demonstrate that MLFMA can be easily incorporated into the implicit restarted Arnoldi (IRA) method for the calculation of CMs, where MLFMA with the sparse approximate inverse (SAI) preconditioning technique is employed to accelerate the construction of Arnoldi vectors. This work paves the way of CM analysis for large-scale and complicated three-dimensional ($3$-D) objects with limited computational resources.

Vector and scalar potential formulation is valid from quantum theory to classical electromagnetics. The rapid development in quantum optics calls for electromagnetic solutions that straddle quantum physics as well as classical physics. The vector potential formulation is a good candidate to bridge these two regimes. Hence, there is a need to generalize this formulation to inhomogeneous media. A generalized gauge is suggested for solving electromagnetic problems in inhomogenous media which can be extended to the anistropic case. The advantages of the resulting equations are their absence of low-frequency catastrophe. Hence, usual differential equation solvers can be used to solve them over multi-scale and broad bandwidth. It is shown that the interface boundary conditions from the resulting equations reduce to those of classical Maxwell's equations. Also, classical Green's theorem can be extended to such a formulation, resulting in similar extinction theorem, and surface integral equation formulation for surface scatterers. The integral equations also do not exhibit low-frequency catastrophe as well as frequency imbalance as observed in the classical formulation using E-H fields. The matrix representation of the integral equation for a PEC scatterer is given., Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure

Recent progress in the simulation of Casimir forces between various objects has allowed traditional computational electromagnetic solvers to be used to find Casimir forces in arbitrary three-dimensional objects. The underlying theory to these approaches requires knowledge and manipulation of quantum field theory and statistical physics. We present a calculation of the Casimir force using the method of moments via the argument principle. This simplified derivation allows greater freedom in the moment matrix where the argument principle can be used to calculate Casimir forces for arbitrary geometries and materials with the use of various computational electromagnetic techniques., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures

We propose a novel efficient algorithm to solve Poisson equation in irregular two dimensional domains for electrostatics. It can handle Dirichlet, Neumann or mixed boundary problems in which the filling media can be homogeneous or inhomogeneous. The basic idea of the new method is solve the problem in three steps: (i) First solve the equation $\nabla\cdot\mathbf D=\rho$. The inverse of the divergence operator in a restricted subspace is found to yield the electric flux density $\mathbf D$ by a fast direct solver in O(N) operations. The $\mathbf D$ so obtained is nonunique with indeterminate divergence-free component. Then the electric field is found by $\mathbf E=\mathbf D/\epsilon$. But $\nabla\times\mathbf E=0$ for electrostatic field; hence, $\mathbf E$ is curl free and orthogonal to the divergence free space. (ii) An orthogonalization process is used to purify the electric field making it curl free and unique. (iii) Then the potential $\phi$ is obtained by solving $\nabla \phi=-\mathbf E$ or finding the inverse of the gradient operator in a restricted subspace by a similar fast direct solver in O(N) operations. Treatments for both Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions are addressed. Finally, the validation and efficiency are illustrated by several numerical examples. Through these simulations, it is observed that the computational complexity of our proposed method almost scales as O(N) where N is the triangle patch number of meshes. Consequently, this new algorithm is a feasible fast Poisson solver., Comment: 23 pages, 21 figures. Revised augment in Section 5.1, results unchanged

In this paper we present a novel fast method to solve Poisson equation in an arbitrary two dimensional region with Neumann boundary condition. The basic idea is to solve the original Poisson problem by a two-step procedure: the first one finds the electric displacement field $\mathbf{D}$ and the second one involves the solution of potential $\phi$. The first step exploits loop-tree decomposition technique that has been applied widely in integral equations within the computational electromagnetics (CEM) community. We expand the electric displacement field in terms of a tree basis. Then, coefficients of the tree basis can be found by the fast tree solver in O(N) operations. Such obtained solution, however, fails to expand the exact field because the tree basis is not completely curl free. Despite of this, the accurate field could be retrieved by carrying out a procedure of divergence free field removal. Subsequently, potential distribution $\phi$ can be found rapidly at the second stage with another fast approach of O(N) complexity. As a result, the method dramatically reduces solution time comparing with traditional FEM with iterative method. Numerical examples including electrostatic simulations are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures. It is a preprint version of the manuscript submitted to SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing (SISC)

In this paper, we generalized the surface integral equation method for the evaluation of Casimir force in arbitrary three-dimensional geometries. Similar to the two-dimensional case, the evaluation of the mean Maxwell stress tensor is cast into solving a series of three-dimensional scattering problems. The formulation and solution of the three-dimensional scattering problem is well-studied in classical computational electromagnetics. This paper demonstrates that this quantum electrodynamic phenomena can be studied using the knowledge and techniques of classical electrodynamics., Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures