Fast superposition T-matrix solution for clusters with arbitrarily-shaped constituent particles

A fast superposition T-matrix solution is formulated for electromagnetic scattering by a collection of arbitrarily-shaped inhomogeneous particles. The T-matrices for individual constituents are computed by expanding the Green's dyadic in the spherical vector wave functions and formulating a volume integral equation, where the equivalent electric current is the unknown and the spherical vector wave functions are treated as excitations. Furthermore, the volume integral equation and the superposition T-matrix are accelerated by the precorrected-FFT algorithm and the fast multipole algorithm, respectively. The approach allows for an efficient scattering analysis of the clusters and aggregates consisting of a large number of arbitrarily-shaped inhomogeneous particles. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.