Numerical simulation of coupled transient thermal and electromagnetic fields with the finite integration method

A consistent iterative method for the simultaneous discretization of Maxwell's equations and of the heat conduction equation in weakly coupled systems is presented. The algorithm is an implementation of the finite integration method combined with both explicit and implicit FDTD schemes for the transient analysis. The validity of the method is demonstrated in the simple example of a lossy dielectric cylinder subject to microwave and radiant heating in a microwave cavity. In a second example, the implications of nonlinear coupling on the transient field solutions are discussed.