Absorbing boundary condition (ABC) and perfectly matched layer (PML) in numerical beam propagation: a comparison

Abstract

The absorbing boundary condition (ABC) and the perfectly matched layer (PML) are employed to suppress the numerical reflections in wave propagation methods. The PML has earlier been shown to fail at the grazing angle propagation of beam. The ABC is preferred over the PML where refractive index is not an analytic function. We have explored the performance of the ABC in reflection-less absorption of non-paraxial propagation of beams and have compared it against the PML. We have considered an example of the propagation of Gaussian beams through a homogeneous medium terminated with ABC or PML. We have used the collocation method for propagation. We have found that both the boundary conditions are comparable in performance. The ABC performed relatively better than the PML for beams at smaller angles. However, the performance of the PML is better than that of the ABC at larger tilt angles.