About the Wave Optics Module
The Wave Optics Module extends the functionality of the physics interfaces of the base package for COMSOL Multiphysics. The details of the physics interfaces and study types for the Wave Optics Module are listed in the table in
The Wave Optics Module Physics Interface Guide
. The functionality of the COMSOL Multiphysics base package is given in the
COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual
.
The Wave Optics Module solves problems in the field of electromagnetic waves at optical frequencies (corresponding to wavelengths in the nano- to micrometer range). The underlying equations for electromagnetics are automatically available in all of the physics interfaces — a feature unique to COMSOL Multiphysics. This also makes nonstandard modeling easily accessible.
The module is useful for simulations and design of optical applications in virtually all areas where you find electromagnetic waves, such as:
•
Optical fibers
•
Photonic waveguides
•
Photonic crystals
•
Nonlinear optics
•
Laser resonator design
•
Active devices in photonics
The physics interfaces cover the following types of electromagnetics field simulations and handle time-harmonic, time-dependent, and eigenfrequency/eigenmode problems:
•
In-plane, axisymmetric, and full 3D electromagnetic wave propagation
•
Full vector mode analysis in 2D and 3D
Material properties include inhomogeneous and fully anisotropic materials, media with gains or losses, and complex-valued material properties. In addition to the standard postprocessing features, the module supports direct computation of S-parameters and far-field radiation patterns. You can add ports with a wave excitation with specified power level and mode type, and add PMLs (perfectly matched layers) to simulate electromagnetic waves that propagate into an unbounded domain. For time-harmonic simulations, you can use the scattered wave or the total wave.
Using the multiphysics capabilities of COMSOL Multiphysics you can couple simulations with heat transfer, structural mechanics, fluid flow formulations, and other physical phenomena.