Diffraction Patterns
Application ID: 117
This example resembles the well-known double-slit interference experiment often demonstrated in schools with water waves or sound. The model mimics the plane-wave excitation with two thin waveguides leading to slits in a screen and computes the diffraction pattern on the opposite side of the screen.
The diffraction pattern is clearly visible. The main effect of discretization is that the numerical wavelength differs from the wavelength lambda and thus results in a systematic shift in the angles. It is possible to correct for this effect by adjusting the value of k in the Helmholtz equation to the element size. Such practices are important when you wish to faithfully model interference effects of monochromatic waves.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Tabella delle Funzionalità and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.