A hybrid FDTD/UTD radiowave propagation modeling: Application to indoor channel simulations.

Classical theories such as the uniform theory of diffraction use analytical expressions for diffraction coefficients. These methods are convenient for canonical problems and objects much greater than the wavelength and enable to rise in frequency. For more complex and smaller scattering structures, rigorous methods as the finite difference time domain method is more suited. In this article, we present a new look on radiowave propagation prediction, combining the advantages of these two complementary methods. This article presents several studies aiming to evaluate the validity domain of this hybrid method in terms of far-field propagation conditions. Finally, an application to indoor channel modeling is presented. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 1312–1320, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22431 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]