Wave Optics Blog Posts
Engineering the Flow of Light Using Photonic Crystals
Did you know that the discovery of photonic crystals in 1980 came about because of an attempt to reduce the losses in semiconductor lasers in a specific frequency range?
Keynote Video: Improving Synchrotron Light Sources with Applications
For synchrotron light sources, brighter is better: RadiaSoft LLC creates and deploys wave optics simulation applications to design improved vacuum chambers for a synchrotron upgrade project.
Calculating the Spectral Properties of an Optical Ring Resonator
The effect of a “whispering gallery” can be observed (a similar way) in another field of science entirely: light waves traveling in an optical ring resonator.
The Nonparaxial Gaussian Beam Formula for Simulating Wave Optics
Here’s your introduction to the nonparaxial gaussian beam formula, which is used for simulating wave optics problems in COMSOL Multiphysics®.
Chasing Waves: The Story of John Scott Russell and the KdV Equation
It all started with a horse: Learn about the history and use cases for solitons, as well as the life and work of the naval architect behind the KdV equation: John Scott Russell.
How to Model Linear and Nonlinear Optics in the COMSOL® Software
See how to model the Kerr effect, and other linear and nonlinear optical phenomena, using the Wave Optics Module and COMSOL Multiphysics®.
How to Use the Beam Envelopes Method for Wave Optics Simulations
In order to simulate optically large optical systems, you need to solve for Maxwell’s equations, which requires a fine mesh and a lot of computational energy. Enter the beam envelope method.
How to Model Optical Anisotropic Media with COMSOL Multiphysics®
Erasmus Bartholinus first observed the optical effect of birefringence in 1669. Today, you can observe this effect with a specialized modeling approach for optical anisotropic media.