Harmonic Balance Overview
Harmonic balance is a frequency-domain analysis technique for simulating distortion in nonlinear circuits and systems. It is well-suited for simulating analog RF and microwave problems, since these are most naturally handled in the frequency domain. You can analyze power amplifiers, frequency multipliers, mixers, and modulators, under large-signal sinusoidal drive.
Harmonic balance simulation makes possible the multitone simulation of circuits that exhibit intermodulation frequency conversion. This includes frequency conversion between harmonics. Not only can the circuit itself produce harmonics, but each signal source (stimulus) can also produce harmonics or small-signal sidebands. The stimulus can consist of up to twelve nonharmonically related sources. The total number of frequencies in the system is limited only by such practical considerations as memory, swap space, and simulation speed.