Numerical methods

The FEKO solver is based on the Method of Moments (MoM) and was the first commercial code to utilise the multi-level fast multipole method (MLFMM) for the solution of electrically large problems when it was released with Suite 4.2 in June 2004. In FEKO, the MoM is hybridised with the following solution techniques:

• Finite Element Method (FEM)
  
• Physical Optics (PO)
• Geometric Optics (GO)
  
• Uniform Theory of Diffraction (UTD)

This hybridisation implies that these solution techniques can be applied to different parts of the same model to optimise the solution time and results.

Computational features

Advanced features that enable complex models to be solved efficiently include:

• Advanced adaptive frequency interpolation scheme for the efficient calculation of broadband responses.
  
• Efficient out-of-core solver (also available in parallel) for large scale problems.
  
• Multilayer planar Green's function for modelling of real earth or dielectric substrates.
  
• Various options to model dielectric bodies (volume / surface meshes, approximations for earth, thin sheets, coated wires).

Optimisation functionality

• Grid search (optimum for specified test points)
• Linear search (Nelder-Mead)
• Genetic Algorithms
• Particle Swarm
  

• GUI interface for construction of goal functions (fitness functions)
• Weighted combination of multiple goal functions
• Live feedback on optimisation process and goal function status