A BLOCK PSEUDOSPECTRAL METHOD FOR MAXWELL EQUATIONS - I - ONE-DIMENSIONAL CASE

A block pseudospectral (BPS) method is proposed as a new way to couple pseudospectral discretizations across interfaces in computations for a linear hyperbolic system. The coupling is achieved via discretized d erivative-matching conditions obtained from the system. Compared to th e standard technique of imposing compatibility conditions based on cha racteristics of the system, the BPS method offers better stability and accuracy, especially in the case where equation coefficients are disc ontinuous. Computational examples for Maxwell's equations in nonhomoge neous media demonstrate that BPS retains high accuracy over times that are orders of magnitude larger than those for not only low-order meth ods (such as Yee's), but also high-order methods, such as characterist ic-based spectral elements. (C) 1998 Academic Press.