A combined steepest descent-fast multipole algorithm for the fast analysis of three-dimensional scattering by rough surfaces

A new technique, the steepest descent-fast multipole method (SDFMM), is developed to efficiently analyze scattering from perfectly conducting random rough surfaces. Unlike other prevailing methods, this algorithm has linear computational complexity and memory requirements, making it a suitable candidate for analyzing scattering from large rough surfaces as well as for carrying out Monte Carlo simulations. The method exploits the quasiplanar nature of rough surfaces to efficiently evaluate the dyadic Green's function for multiple source and observation points. This is achieved through a combination of a Sommerfeld steepest descent integral and a multilevel fast multipole-like algorithm based on inhomogeneous plane wave expansions. The fast evaluation of the dyadic Green's function dramatically speeds up the iterative solution of the integral equation for rough surface scattering. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the efficacy and accuracy of the method in analyzing scattering from extremely large finite rough surfaces.