A multilevel matrix decomposition algorithm for analyzing scattering from large structures

A multilevel algorithm is presented for analyzing scattering from electrically large surfaces. The algorithm accelerates the iterative solution of integral equations that arise in computational electromagnetics. The algorithm permits a fast matrix-vector multiplication by decomposing the traditional method of moment matrix into a large number of blocks, with each describing the interaction between distant scatterers. The multiplication of each block by a trial solution vector is executed using a multilevel scheme that resembles a fast Fourier transform (FFT) and that only relies on well-known algebraic techniques. The computational complexity and the memory requirements of the proposed algorithm are O(N log/sup 2/ N).