The use of the constant vector basis functions for the magnetic field integral equation

The magnetic field integral equation (MFIE) is widely used in the analysis of electromagnetic scattering problems for conducting objects. Usually, the MFIE is solved by the method of moments (MoM) using the Rao–Wilton–Glisson (RWG) basis functions. In this paper, a new kind of basis function which is named the piece-wise constant vector basis function is proposed and used to solve the MFIE by MoM. Definition of this kind of basis function is given. The calculation of the impedance matrix entries is presented in detail. This kind of basis function is then used for the solution of the MFIE for electromagnetic scattering problems. The radar cross section (RCS) results and the iterative property of both kinds of basis functions are presented. It is shown that the piece-wise constant vector basis functions give similar RCS results as those of the RWG basis functions. Particularly, when iterative solver is used to solve the resultant linear system, the solution scheme using the piece-wise constant vector basis functions iterates much faster than that using the RWG basis functions.