A STABILITY ANALYSIS OF A TIME MARCHING SCHEME FOR THE GENERAL SURFACE ELECTRIC-FIELD INTEGRAL-EQUATION

We present a stability analysis of a mixed finite element approximatio n of the time dependent electric field integral equation which is used to compute the current induced on a perfect conductor by a transient electric field. The analysis shows that the solution has fast growing unstable modes that are due to a combination of the finite element bas is functions and the integral quadrature rule. These modes cannot be r emoved by standard time averaging methods, but they can be eliminated by averaging in space appropriately. (C) 1998 IMACS/Elsevier Science B .V.