The Finite Difference Time-Domain (FD-TD) is a finite difference method for the solution of electromagnetic problems. The method (for the most important general 3D domain) was developed by Yee in 1966 [2]. It is derived from the Maxwell's equations that are related to Ampere's Law and Faraday's Law. These partial differential equations ( PDEs ) are replaced by differences in a special way to derive the Yee algorithm. The method is introduced in the textbooks by Kunz and Luebbers , Taflove and Rao .
The FDTD method can be classed as a special case of the finite difference method , a standard method for solving PDEs. It is a time-stepping method, wherein starting at time t=0, the electromagnetic properties are updated at each time level to give the evolving solution.
The FDTD method can be used in 1, 2 and 3 dimensions, but it is the more practical 3D case that is the most important and which the Yee algorithm addresses. It is the 3 dimensional FDTD solution of electromagnetic problems that is considered here.
A Java source code that implements the 3D FDTD can be downloaded free from this Google group:
Mark2 to be released in August 2008 in the FDTD-OS group.