Yes.

• The lower the scattering potential, the higher the convergence rate.

• For light, the contrast is relatively low compared to sound, this simulations are fast.

• The longer the waves reside in the simulation domain, the longer the simulation takes (‘pseudo propagation’).

Note: These constraints are true for other methods as well.

• The scattering potential is sampled on a grid.

This quantization error limits the accuracy.

• Truncation of the iteration.

At some point you want to stop, even though there may be some low-intensity waves ‘bouncing around.’

Note: Holds for all methods in one way or another.

Yes

Yes, it supports both scalar and vector solutions.

Yes! We recently released the Python code on GitHub. This implementation solves the modified Born series through domain decomposition, allowing simulations to be split and run over multiple GPUs. Currently, this code is limited to the Helmholtz equation.

Not yet, but if you require this feature, please contact us to discuss customization options.

• Yes, by performing a simulation for each frequency ω and Fourier transform.

See pulse2d.m for an example.

- No, but it can do better: Osnabrugge, Gerwin, Maaike Benedictus, and Ivo M. Vellekoop. "Ultra-thin boundary layer for high-accuracy simulations of light propagation." Optics express 29.2 (2021): 1649-1658.

Yes, you can adjust the parameters in Wavesim to simulate acoustic wave propagation.

No, Wavesim does not currently support the simulation of gain media.

No, Wavesim does not have the capability to simulate nonlinear phenomena.

Wavesim works with high refractive indices just as well, though slower.

Wavesim is an iterative solver that converges monotonically to the correct solution. This means that the residual decreases with every step. If it is small enough, Wavesim stops the iterations.

The effect of this truncation is somewhat similar to terminating a time-resolved simulation (like FDTD) at some point. Each iteration in Wavesim spreads out the solution through space, somewhat analogous to a wave propagating (we call this pseudo propagation). This means that if you want to simulate a cavity with a high Q-factor (with waves bouncing around many times), you need to iterate long enough for the 'pseudo propagating' waves bouncing around in the cavity to decay sufficiently.