Automatic parameter selection

This example contains the simulation of a plane wave (oblique incidence), scattered by a spiral of nine aluminum disks on a thin-film waveguide structure supported by a glass substrate Click here to download the Python script.

Test balloon simulation

The first part of the script runs a test balloon simulation, where the ensemble of nine disks is replaced by a single disk. An automatic parameter selection is triggered for the test balloon simulation. See the section on Automatic parameter selection for a description of the feature.

Actual simulation

In the second part of the script, the resulting parameters (l_max, m_max, neff_max, neff_resolution) are copied to the actual simulation settings and the actual nine-particle simulation is run.

ambient DSCS	ambient DSCS (integrated over \(\alpha\))
substrate DSCS	substrate DSCS (integrated over \(\alpha\))

After the simulation has run, the differential scattering cross section is evaluated in a post processing step. The left column shows the 2D-differential scattering cross section, \(\mathrm{DSCS}(\alpha, \beta) = \frac{\mathrm{dSCS}}{\mathrm{d}\Omega}\), whereas the right column shows the 1D distribution (i.e., the integral over the azimuthal direction coordinate), \(\mathrm{DSCS}(\beta) = \frac{\mathrm{dSCS}}{\mathrm{d}\cos\beta}\).

In the substrate far field, the critical angle is visible as a ring-shaped feature.