P-refinement in Electromagnetic Simulations Using Finite Element Method with Maximally Orthogonalized Basis Functions

We analyze the performance of the maximally orthogonal (Max-Ortho) curl-conforming basis functions under $\boldsymbol{p}$-refinement in entire-domain finite element solutions of simple waveguide problems. In the process, we compare the Max-Ortho basis functions with the Classical basis functions and demonstrate the benefits of the former in terms of convergence and achievable accuracy. In addition, we assess the limits of the Max-Ortho basis functions in terms of maximally usable polynomial orders and finite element sizes.