Quasi-Helmholtz Calder\'on Multiplicative Preconditioning for Higher-Order Global Multi-Trace Integral Equations

Abstract

The paper presents a higher-order global multi-trace integral equation for time-harmonic electromagnetic scattering by composite objects. The higher-order multi-trace formulation is preconditioned with a Calder\'on multiplicative preconditioner using higher-order quasi-Helmholtz projectors. The higher-order quasi-Helmholtz projectors separate the solenoidal and non-solenoidal components of the basis functions. Separate access to the Helmholtz components circumvents the explicit inversion of an ill-conditioned mixed Gram matrix. This enables the application of Calder\'on multiplicative preconditioning without refining the mesh and resorting to dual basis functions. Furthermore, it enables low-frequency stabilization, as the solenoidal and non-solenoidal components can be rescaled individually. The higher-order quasi-Helmholtz projectors are computed iteratively, enabling iterative solvers to efficiently solve the preconditioned matrix system, yielding accurate solutions in a few dozen iterations. Numerical experiments are conducted for composite dielectric bodies, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed preconditioner for the global multi-trace formulation discretized with higher-order basis functions for dense meshes and at very low frequencies