[[Image:Info_icon.png|40px]] Click here to learn more about '''[[EM.Cube's Applications]]'''.
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=== Numerical Modeling of Electromagnetic Problems ===
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[[Image:ship_image1.png|thumb|500px|The electric field excited above a battleship illuminated by a plane wave source.]]
Mathematically speaking, all electromagnetic modeling problems require solving some form of [[Maxwell's Equations|Maxwell's equations]] in conjunction with certain initial and boundary conditions. Radiation and scattering problems are defined over an unbounded domain. Circuit and device problems are often formulated as shielded structures within finite domains. Aside from a few well-known canonical problems, there are no closed-form solutions available for most electromagnetic problems due to the complexity of their domains and boundaries. Numerical analysis, therefore, is the only way to solve such problems.
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[[Image:Info_icon.png|40px]] Click here for a brief review of '''[[Maxwell's Equations]]'''.
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[[Image:Info_icon.png|40px]] Click here to learn more about '''[[Maxwell%27s_Equations#Numerical_Techniques_for_Solving_Maxwell.27s_Equations | Numerical Techniques for Solving Maxwell's Equations]]'''.
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Using a numerical method to solve a certain electromagnetic modeling problem typically involves a recurring sequence of steps:
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*Geometrical construction of the physical structure and material assignments
*Definition of the computational domain and boundary conditions
*Definition of excitation sources
*Definition of observables
*Geometrical reduction and mesh generation
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The above steps reduce your original physical problem to a numerical problem, which must be solved using an appropriate numerical solver. Verifying and benchmarking different techniques in the same simulation environment helps you better strategize, formulate and validate a definitive solution.
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A ubiquitous question surfaces very often in electromagnetic modeling: "Does one really need more than one simulation engine? A true challenge of electromagnetic modeling is the right choice of numerical technique for any given problem. Depending on the electrical length scales and physical nature of your problem, some modeling techniques may provide more accurate or computationally more efficient solutions than the others. Full-wave techniques provide the most accurate solution of [[Maxwell's Equations|Maxwell's equations]] in general. In the case of very large-scale problems, asymptotic methods sometimes offer the only practical solution. On the other hand, static or quasi-static methods may provide more stable solutions for extremely small-scale problems. Having access to multiple simulation engines in a unified modeling environment provides many advantages beyond getting the best solver for your particular problem. Some complex problems involve dissimilar length scales which cannot be compromised in favor of one or another. In such cases, a hybrid simulation using different techniques for different parts of the larger problem can lead to a reasonable solution.
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{{Note|[[EM.Tempo]] is [[EM.Cube]]'s general-purpose EM simulator than can handle most types of modeling problems involving arbitrary geometries and complex material variations in both time and frequency domains.}}
=== EM.Cube's Modular Architecture ===