Characterization, Comparison, and Validation of Electromagnetic Modeling Software

摘要

The continuously increasing number of electromagnetic computer models (codes) and applications thereof is one result of a rapidly expanding computing resources base of exponentially growing capability. While the growing use of computers in electromagnetics attests to the value of computer modeling for solving problems of practical interest, the proliferation of codes and results being produced increases the need for their validation with respect ot both electromagnetic formulation and software implementation. But validation is perhaps the most difficult step in code development, espeically for those models intended for general-purpose application where they may be used in unpredictable or inappropriate ways. A procedure or protocol for validating codes both internally, where necessary but not always sufficient checks of a valid computation can be made, and externally, where independent results are used for this purpose, is needed. Ways of comparing differing computer models with respect to their efficiency and utility to make more relevant intercode comparisons and thereby provide a basis for code selection by users having particular problems to model are also needed. These issues are discussed in this article and some proposals are presented for characterizing, comparing, and validating EM modeling codes in ways most relevant to the end user.