Meep: A flexible free-software package for electromagnetic simulations by the FDTD method

This paper describes Meep, a popular free implementation of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for simulating electromagnetism. In particular, we focus on aspects of implementing a full-featured FDTD package that go beyond standard textbook descriptions of the algorithm, or ways in which Meep differs from typical FDTD implementations. These include pervasive interpolation and accurate modeling of subpixel features, advanced signal processing, support for nonlinear materials via Padé approximants, and flexible scripting capabilities.Program summaryProgram title: MeepCatalogue identifier: AEFU_v1_0Program summary URL::http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEFU_v1_0.htmlProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: GNU GPLNo. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 151 821No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 1 925 774Distribution format: tar.gzProgramming language: C++Computer: Any computer with a Unix-like system and a C++ compiler; optionally exploits additional free software packages: GNU Guile [1], libctl interface library [2], HDF5 [3], MPI message-passing interface [4], and Harminv filter-diagonalization [5]. Developed on 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.Operating system: Any Unix-like system; developed under Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.2.RAM: Problem dependent (roughly 100 bytes per pixel/voxel)Classification: 10External routines: Optionally exploits additional free software packages: GNU Guile [1], libctl interface library [2], HDF5 [3], MPI message-passing interface [4], and Harminv filter-diagonalization [5] (which requires LAPACK and BLAS linear-algebra software [6]).Nature of problem: Classical electrodynamicsSolution method: Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methodRunning time: Problem dependent (typically about 10 ns per pixel per timestep)References:[1] GNU Guile, http://www.gnu.org/software/guile[2] Libctl, http://ab-initio.mit.edu/libctl[3] M. Folk, R.E. McGrath, N. Yeager, HDF: An update and future directions, in: Proc. 1999 Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), Hamburg, Germany, vol. 1, IEEE Press, 1999, pp. 273–275.[4] T.M. Forum, MPI: A Message Passing Interface, in: Supercomputing 93, Portland, OR, 1993, pp. 878–883.[5] Harminv, http://ab-initio.mit.edu/harminv.[6] LAPACK, http://www.netlib.org/lapack/lug.