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Updated: May 25, 2026

Finite Element Modelling of a Cellular Electric Microenvironment
Published on: May 18, 2021
Fast near field calculations in the discrete dipole approximation for regular rectilinear grids
1University of California San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. pflatau@ucsd.edu
A new fast algorithm speeds up near-field calculations of light electric fields around scattering particles. This method significantly reduces computation time for light scattering problems using the discrete dipole approximation.
Area of Science:
- Computational physics
- Optics
- Electromagnetism
Background:
- Near-field calculations are crucial for understanding light-matter interactions.
- The discrete dipole approximation (DDA) is a common method for simulating light scattering.
- Existing DDA methods can be computationally intensive, especially for large systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a computationally efficient algorithm for near-field calculations within the DDA framework.
- To reduce the computational time required for simulating light electric field intensity near scattering particles.
Main Methods:
- A novel fast algorithm for gridded data is presented.
- The algorithm utilizes one matrix-vector multiplication.
- The computation is accelerated using the three-dimensional fast Fourier transform (3D FFT).
Main Results:
- The proposed algorithm significantly reduces computation time for near-field calculations.
- Efficiency gains are particularly notable for moderate and large light scattering scenarios.
- The method provides accurate near-field intensity distributions.
Conclusions:
- The developed fast algorithm offers a substantial improvement in computational efficiency for DDA near-field calculations.
- This advancement enables more complex simulations of light scattering phenomena.
- The method is suitable for analyzing light electric field intensity in various scattering particle configurations.
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