Aspects of the Method of Auxiliary Sources (MAS) in computational electromagnetics

The method of auxiliary sources (MAS) is a numerical technique, alternative to the standard surface integral-equation formulation, suitable for solving elliptic boundary-value problems appearing in electromagnetic scattering analysis, antenna modeling, waveguide structures, etc. This paper provides an overview of MAS as applied to computational electromagnetics. The fundamentals of MAS are presented and its advantages over the method of moments are highlighted, while special emphasis is given to a number of advanced issues. Moreover, a selection of recent developments in the method is presented, with a detailed description of several challenging topics. Finally, the potential applicability of the method to a broader range of problems is contemplated.