Differential Forms and Boundary Integral Equations for Maxwell-Type Problems

Abstract

We present boundary-integral equations for Maxwell-type problems in a differential-form setting. Maxwell-type problems are governed by the differential equation $(δ\mathrm{d}-k^2)ω= 0$, where $k\in\mathbb{C}$ holds, subject to some restrictions. This problem class generalizes $\textbf{curl}\,\textbf{curl}$- and $\mathrm{div}\,\textbf{grad}$-types of problems in three dimensions. The goal of the paper is threefold: 1) Establish the Sobolev-space framework in the full generality of differential-form calculus on a smooth manifold of arbitrary dimension and with Lipschitz boundary. 2) Introduce integral transformations and fundamental solutions, and derive a representation formula for Maxwell-type problems. 3) Leverage the power of differential-form calculus to gain insight into properties and inherent symmetries of boundary-integral equations of Maxwell-type.