A numerical scheme for the electromagnetic response in thin conductors of arbitrary planar shape

Abstract

AbstractA calculation of the electromagnetic response of a thin conductor in the presence of an exciting primary magnetic field has been attempted by various authors. Analytic solutions are obtainable when either the conductor is of infinite extent or when the problem possesses some symmetry. The loss of symmetry makes the problem difficult to solve except for the simplest shape – that of a circular conductor. A numerical method has been used for the rectangular conductor by other authors. In this paper we consider the response due to a thin plane conductor of arbitrary shape. The method involves the numerical generation of a set of body-fitted orthogonal curvilinear coordinates which maps the conductor onto a unit square. Good orthogonal grids can be generated for shapes that do not deviate too far from the rectangular. In terms of these curvilinear coordinates the vector potential for the area current density satisfies an integro-differential equation which is solved numerically.