65N30 Finite elements, Rayleigh-Ritz and Galerkin methods, finite methods
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Our focus is on Maxwell's equations in the low frequency range; two specific applications we aim at are time-stepping schemes for eddy current computations and the stationary double-curl equation for time-harmonic fields. We assume that the computational domain is discretized by triangles or tetrahedrons; for the finite element approximation we choose N\'{e}d\'{e}lec's $H(curl)$-conforming edge elements of the lowest order. For the solution of the arising linear equation systems we devise an algebraic multigrid preconditioner based on a spatial component splitting of the field. Mesh coarsening takes place in an auxiliary subspace, which is constructed with the aid of a nodal vector basis. Within this subspace coarse grids are created by exploiting the matrix graphs. Additionally, we have to cope with the kernel of the $curl$-operator, which comprises a considerable part of the spectral modes on the grid. Fortunately, the kernel modes are accessible via a discrete Helmholtz decomposition of the fields; they are smoothed by additional algebraic multigrid cycles. Numerical experiments are included in order to assess the efficacy of the proposed algorithms.