CtrlK
BlogDocsLog inGet started
Tessl Logo

wave-propagation

Simulate wave propagation — acoustic, electromagnetic, elastic, and quantum waves. FDTD, spectral methods, and absorbing boundary conditions for 1D/2D/3D wave equations with sources, scattering, and dispersion.

62

Quality

73%

Does it follow best practices?

Run evals on this skill

Adds up to 20 points to the overall score

View guide

SecuritybySnyk

Passed

No findings from the security scan

Fix and improve this skill with Tessl

tessl review fix ./backend/cli/skills/physics/wave-propagation/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Wave Propagation

Overview

Simulate wave propagation using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and spectral methods. Supports acoustic, electromagnetic, and elastic waves with various source types, boundary conditions, and media.

When to Use

  • Simulating sound, light, seismic, or water waves
  • Wave scattering from obstacles
  • Resonance and standing wave analysis
  • Waveguide and cavity problems
  • Time-domain pulse propagation

Core Workflows

1. 1D Wave Equation (FDTD)

$$\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial t^2} = c^2 \frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x^2}$$

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

def wave_1d_fdtd(Nx=1000, Nt=2000, c=1.0, dx=0.01, CFL=0.9,
                  source_pos=0.2, source_freq=5.0, bc='absorbing'):
    """
    1D wave equation solver using FDTD (leapfrog in time).
    CFL condition: c*dt/dx ≤ 1
    """
    dt = CFL * dx / c
    x = np.arange(Nx) * dx

    # Fields: u at three time levels
    u_prev = np.zeros(Nx)
    u_curr = np.zeros(Nx)
    u_next = np.zeros(Nx)

    r2 = (c * dt / dx)**2  # CFL number squared
    print(f"CFL = {c*dt/dx:.4f}, dt = {dt:.6f}")

    source_idx = int(source_pos / dx)
    snapshots = []

    for n in range(Nt):
        t = n * dt

        # Interior update
        u_next[1:-1] = (2*u_curr[1:-1] - u_prev[1:-1] +
                        r2 * (u_curr[2:] - 2*u_curr[1:-1] + u_curr[:-2]))

        # Source: Ricker wavelet
        t0 = 1.0 / source_freq
        source = (1 - 2*(np.pi*source_freq*(t - t0))**2) * \
                 np.exp(-(np.pi*source_freq*(t - t0))**2)
        u_next[source_idx] += dt**2 * source

        # Boundary conditions
        if bc == 'absorbing':
            # Mur first-order ABC
            u_next[0] = u_curr[1] + (c*dt - dx)/(c*dt + dx) * (u_next[1] - u_curr[0])
            u_next[-1] = u_curr[-2] + (c*dt - dx)/(c*dt + dx) * (u_next[-2] - u_curr[-1])
        elif bc == 'fixed':
            u_next[0] = 0
            u_next[-1] = 0
        elif bc == 'periodic':
            u_next[0] = u_next[-2]
            u_next[-1] = u_next[1]

        u_prev = u_curr.copy()
        u_curr = u_next.copy()

        if n % (Nt // 10) == 0:
            snapshots.append((t, u_curr.copy()))

    return x, snapshots

x, snaps = wave_1d_fdtd()

fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(12, 6))
for t, u in snaps:
    ax.plot(x, u + t*0.3, linewidth=0.8, label=f't={t:.3f}')
ax.set_xlabel('x [m]')
ax.set_ylabel('u (offset by time)')
ax.set_title('1D Wave Propagation (Ricker Source, Absorbing BCs)')
ax.legend(ncol=2, fontsize=8)
ax.grid(True, alpha=0.3)
plt.savefig('wave_1d.png', dpi=150, bbox_inches='tight')

2. 2D Wave Equation

def wave_2d_fdtd(Nx=200, Ny=200, Nt=500, c=1.0, dx=0.01, CFL=0.7):
    """2D wave equation using FDTD."""
    dt = CFL * dx / (c * np.sqrt(2))  # 2D CFL

    u_prev = np.zeros((Nx, Ny))
    u_curr = np.zeros((Nx, Ny))
    u_next = np.zeros((Nx, Ny))

    r2 = (c * dt / dx)**2
    source_i, source_j = Nx // 4, Ny // 2

    snapshots = []

    for n in range(Nt):
        t = n * dt

        # Interior
        u_next[1:-1, 1:-1] = (
            2*u_curr[1:-1, 1:-1] - u_prev[1:-1, 1:-1] + r2 * (
                u_curr[2:, 1:-1] + u_curr[:-2, 1:-1] +
                u_curr[1:-1, 2:] + u_curr[1:-1, :-2] -
                4*u_curr[1:-1, 1:-1]
            )
        )

        # Source
        freq = 10.0
        t0 = 0.1
        source = (1 - 2*(np.pi*freq*(t-t0))**2) * np.exp(-(np.pi*freq*(t-t0))**2)
        u_next[source_i, source_j] += dt**2 * source

        # Absorbing BCs (simple)
        u_next[0, :] = u_next[1, :]
        u_next[-1, :] = u_next[-2, :]
        u_next[:, 0] = u_next[:, 1]
        u_next[:, -1] = u_next[:, -2]

        u_prev = u_curr.copy()
        u_curr = u_next.copy()

        if n % (Nt // 6) == 0:
            snapshots.append((t, u_curr.copy()))

    return snapshots

snaps_2d = wave_2d_fdtd()

fig, axes = plt.subplots(2, 3, figsize=(15, 10))
for ax, (t, u) in zip(axes.flat, snaps_2d):
    im = ax.imshow(u.T, cmap='RdBu_r', vmin=-0.01, vmax=0.01,
                    origin='lower', extent=[0, 2, 0, 2])
    ax.set_title(f't = {t:.3f} s')
    ax.set_xlabel('x [m]')
    ax.set_ylabel('y [m]')
plt.suptitle('2D Wave Propagation')
plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig('wave_2d.png', dpi=150, bbox_inches='tight')

3. Spectral Method (Periodic Waves)

def wave_spectral(N=256, L=2*np.pi, T=10, c=1.0, dt=0.01):
    """Wave equation via pseudospectral method (periodic BC)."""
    x = np.linspace(0, L, N, endpoint=False)
    k = np.fft.fftfreq(N, d=L/N) * 2 * np.pi

    # Initial: Gaussian pulse
    u = np.exp(-((x - L/2)**2) / 0.05)
    v = np.zeros(N)  # du/dt = 0

    u_hat = np.fft.fft(u)
    v_hat = np.fft.fft(v)
    omega2 = (c * k)**2

    Nt = int(T / dt)
    snaps = [(0, u.copy())]

    for n in range(Nt):
        # Leapfrog in Fourier space
        v_hat -= dt * omega2 * u_hat
        u_hat += dt * v_hat

        if (n+1) % (Nt // 8) == 0:
            snaps.append(((n+1)*dt, np.real(np.fft.ifft(u_hat))))

    return x, snaps

4. Dispersion Relation Analysis

def measure_dispersion(simulation_data, dx, dt):
    """
    Measure dispersion relation from simulation data.
    Compute 2D FFT (space-time) to get ω(k).
    """
    # 2D FFT
    ft = np.fft.fft2(simulation_data)
    ft_shifted = np.fft.fftshift(ft)

    Nt, Nx = simulation_data.shape
    k = np.fft.fftshift(np.fft.fftfreq(Nx, d=dx)) * 2 * np.pi
    omega = np.fft.fftshift(np.fft.fftfreq(Nt, d=dt)) * 2 * np.pi

    plt.figure(figsize=(8, 6))
    plt.pcolormesh(k, omega, np.log10(np.abs(ft_shifted)**2 + 1e-20),
                    cmap='hot', shading='auto')
    plt.plot(k, np.abs(k), 'w--', linewidth=1, label='ω = c|k| (exact)')
    plt.xlabel('Wavenumber k [rad/m]')
    plt.ylabel('Frequency ω [rad/s]')
    plt.title('Dispersion Relation')
    plt.colorbar(label='log₁₀|FFT|²')
    plt.legend()
    plt.savefig('dispersion.png', dpi=150)

CFL Stability Conditions

DimensionConditionNotes
1Dc·dt/dx ≤ 1Exact for FDTD
2Dc·dt/dx ≤ 1/√2Square grid
3Dc·dt/dx ≤ 1/√3Cubic grid

Source Types

SourceFormulaUse For
Ricker wavelet(1-2(πft₀)²)exp(-(πft₀)²)Seismic, broadband pulse
Gaussian pulseexp(-t²/2σ²)Simple test pulse
Sine burstsin(2πft) × windowNarrowband excitation
Point sourceδ(x-x₀)·s(t)Monopole radiation

Troubleshooting

SymptomFix
Solution blows upCFL violation — reduce dt
Reflections from boundaryUse absorbing BC (Mur, PML)
Numerical dispersionReduce dx (need ~10-20 points per wavelength)
Spectral ringingSmooth the source function
Repository
synthetic-sciences/openscience
Last updated
First committed

Is this your skill?

If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.