Genetic Algorithm Optimized Perfectly Matched Layers For Finite

Difference Frequency Domain Applications

E. Michielssen*, W. C. Chew, andD. S. Weile

Center for Computational Electromagnetics
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electromagnetics Laboratory
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, IL 61801

1. Introduction

The Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) has recently been introduced by

Berenger as a material absorbing boundary condition for electromagnetic waves and
applied in two- and three-dimensional FDTD simulations [ 1,2]. This PML
boundary condition has been interpreted as a coordinate stretching scheme in a
complex space [3]. Recently, Chew and Jin [4]analyzed the propagation of
electromagnetic waves on a discrete PML lattice, and derived closed form
expressions for the reflection coefficients from PML interfaces. Unlike for a
continuous medium PML, the reflection from a discrete medium PML interface
coefficient does not vanish for all frequencies and angles. In this paper, the
parameters defining a multilayer discrete PML medium terminated by a conducting
plane are optimized to minimize the absorber's reflection coefficient over a specified
range of frequencies and incident angles. This optimization is performed using a
Genetic Algorithm (GA) and results in profiles quite different from the commonly
used linear and quadratic ones.
2. Formulation
T h e modified Maxwell's equations governing time harmonic
electromagnetic wave propagation on a PML lattice with space and time
discretization A5,C = x , y , z and AI are [5]
- -
= V, x Em
iR1km+.!.Hm+.!.
2 2
A - . . A

-iR,E,E, = V, x H,,!
2

where

In (1) and ( 2 ) ,the stretching variables S, = a: + iR, /h,are complex quantities, 8:

and denote forward and backward difference operators, respectively, and tildes
a>d hats denote foryard and backward vectors and quantities, respectively. Also,
R, = R,e-"' and R, = Q,e+'bJwith R, = osinc(oA, /2). Plane wave solutions
to (1) of the form
can be shown to satisfy the dispersion relationship

1 1
K~ = T ~ : ~ :+ - 1- i - ~7 ;
+ T (4)
s, s, ' s,: .

where K 2 = R$E and Ks = ks sinc(kbAs / 2 ) . Given two PML half spaces with
stretching variables SILand S,; and all other stretching variables being unity, the
reflection coefficient of an incident TE plane wave is
e - r 6 ~ : - ,162: - e-&: + SO:
(5)

where 6,; follows from the interface stretching variable So, = 0.5(S1, + S2J.
Reflection coefficients from multilayered PML media can be computed recursively,
or by the finite difference method.

The complete characterization of a PML with a given number of N layers

requires the specification of an Sjz,j = 1,...,N for each layer. This study optimizes
these stretching variables in much the s a d way as [7] uses a GA to optimize
material choice and layer thickness in microwave absorbers. Genetic algorithms are
stochastic optimization algorithms loosely based on Darwinian evolution: survival
of thefittest. Because of their stochastic nature, GAS do not converge to weak
local optima. To use a GA for PML optimization, the 2N parameters up and
R,, j =,I ,...,N are encoded into a binary representation called a chromosome. The
GA begins by randomly generating a population of chromosomes each of which
represents a random design. The population is then ameliorated by repeated
application of three stochastic operators which create populations of the same size:
selection, crossover, and mutation. Selection directly implements survival of the
fittest based on the chromosomes' relative optimality as measured by an objective
function. The specific objective function F minimized in this study is the
maximum reflection coefficient over a set frequencies and incident angles of
interest:

so that chromosomes for extremely nonreflective designs produce many copies in

the new population, and chromosomes for reflective designs produce few or none.
The genetic information in the new population is recombined using the crossover
operator which, with a given probability pc (usually between 0.6 and 0.95),
exchanges all of the bits past a certain point in each pair of chromosomes just
selected. Lastly, the mutation operator changes the value of each bit in the
population with a probability pnl (usually less then 0.05) to prevent premature
convergence and ensure genetic diversity. The three operators are applied for a
fixed number of generations or until no improvement is observed in the reflectivity.

2107
3. Numerical Results

In this paper we will restrict ourselves to the design of PML absorbers for
finite difference frequency domain applications, for which R, = o. First, consider
an 8-layer PML, the thickness of each layer equals the spatial discretization
A, = h / 100. The reflection of this PML was minimized over incident angles in the
range 0 I k, / k 5 0.9 by optimizing the 16 parameters ajz a.nd R,, . No attempt
was made to simultaneously minimize the reflection coefficient in the evanescent
part of the spectrum, Figure 1 compares the reflection coefficients of the GA
optimized P M L to those of a polynomial P M L with profile
ajz = 1 +(a;,,, - 1)[j/NIm"and R,, = R,,,,,[j/N]mR with judiciously selected
parameters a;,mnx,M,, RL:.,,,, and R,.,,=. It is observed that the GA optinlized
PML exhibits a lower reflection coefficient than the polynomial PML. A similar
optimization was performed for a 20 layer PML-a problem with 40 degrees of
freedom-the results are shown in Figure 2. Similar conclusions hold true.
Ongoing research focuses on the design of broadband GA-optimized PMLs. Initial
results indicate that polynomial PMLs appear to be near-optimal for broadband
applications.
4. Conclusions

This paper introduced an optimized PML, which is characterized by smaller

reflection coefficients when compared to traditional polynomial profile PML
absorbers. For each layer of the PML, two free parameters. 0, and R, are
optimized using a GA. The resulting multilayer exhibits lower reflection than
polynomial profile PML absorbers, but have a limited bandwidth.
References

J . P. Berenger, "A perfectly matched layer for the absorption of

electromagnetic waves," J. Computational Physics, 114, 185-200, 1994.
D. S. Katz, E. T. Thiele, and A. Tavlove, "Validation and extension to three
dimensions of the Berenger PML absorbing boundary condition for FD-TD
meshes," IEEE Micro. Guided Wave Lett., 4, 8, pp. 268-270, 1994
W. C. Chew and W. H. Weedon, " A 3D perfectly matched medium from
modified Maxwell's equations with stretched coordinates," Micro. Opt. Tech.
Lett., 7, 599-604
W.C. Chew and J.M. Jin, "Analysis of perfectly-matched layers using lattice
EM theory in a discretized world," USNCNRSI Radio Science Meeting-URSI
Digest, p. 338, June 18-23, Newport Beach, California, 1995.
W. C. Chew, "Electromagnetic Theory on a lattice," J. Applied Physics, 75,
10, pp. 4843-4850, 1994
D. E. Goldberg, Genetic Algoritkins in Search. Oprimizarioii nizd Machine
Learning, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1989.
E. Michielssen, J. M. Sajer, S. Ranjithan and R. Mittra, "Design of
lightweight, broad-band microwave absorbers using genetic algorithms," IEEE
Trans. Microwave Theory and Tech., 41, 6/7, pp. 1024-1031, 1993.

210s
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Figure 1. Reflection coefficient of 8-layer PML with Az = hl 100. The reflection

of this PML was minimized over incident angles in the range 0 Ik, I k I0.9.

0 0.5 I 1.5
kxk

Figure 2. Reflection coefficient of 20-layer PML with Az = h / 100. The

reflection of this PML was minimized over incident angles in the range
0 Ik, l k 10.9.

2109