Finite element simulation of the frequency-dependent polarization of biological cells

Abstract

The impact of electromagnetic fields on biological tissue is increasingly gaining relevance for electromagnetic compatibility considerations. To estimate such effects, the determination of the electromagnetic exposition on the cellular level is essential. Hence, a new method for the finite element simulation of biological cells in electrolyte solution based on the electro-quasistatic approximation to Maxwell's equations is presented here. By non-overlapping iterative domain decomposition (IDD), a more efficient and accurate incorporation of surface charge relaxation on material interfaces is achieved than by former methods. IDD does not only lead to an efficient consideration of the interface coupling of electrical flux- and current densities, but also overcomes numerical problems related to size differences of individual cell components. A completely parallel treatment of the resulting subdomains will enable the simulation of large cell systems in the future. The approach is validated in the case of a time-harmonic external field. Further, numerical errors and convergence properties are analyzed.