Hybrid LEGO-EFIE method applied to antenna problems comprising anisotropic media

Linear embedding via Green’s operators (LEGO) is a domain decomposition method in which complex radiation and scattering problems are modelled and solved by means of interacting electromagnetic "bricks". We propose an extension of LEGO able to handle bodies with anisotropic constitutive parameters and metallic objects (e.g., antennas). Since the anisotropic objects are dealt with LEGO, and the metallic parts are treated with the electric field integral equation (EFIE), we refer to the overall approach as hybrid LEGO-EFIE. The characterization of an electromagnetic brick which embeds an anisotropic object requires solving a volume integral equation (VIE). Since this procedure is carried out for each brick independently, the LEGO approach per se is extremely advantageous over the direct solution of a global VIE for all the bodies at once. Nonetheless, we further mix the hybrid LEGO-EFIE approach with the eigencurrents expansion method in order to tackle relatively larger problems. The technique is used to analyze a reconfigurable plasma antenna array (PAA) comprised of magnetized-plasma tubes placed around a two-dipole antenna array.