Integrated Engineering Software, a developer of hybrid simulation tools for electromagnetic, thermal and structural design analysis, has released updates to its Lorentz software. Available in 2D/RS (rotationally symmetric) and 3D packages, Lorentz, uses proven field solver technology to achieve effective simulation for applications requiring charged particle and beam analysis.
Version 8.0 is easy to use and new features include the ability to interpolate fields for ray tracing. This has the potential to speed up problem solving provided that enough division is present for the interpolated field. This feature is particularly beneficial for simulations requiring a large number of rays. Similarly, the parallel computation capability will prove valuable when a large number of rays require calculation. Improved algorithms also ensure that the rays are assigned the correct energies when they intersect secondary emitters, reflectors and collectors.
Version 8.0 also sees major improvements to the visualisation tools employed, these now have the ability to undertake gradient contour plots which will make use of the entire colour spectrum. Additionally, log plots to contours, arrows and isosurfaces have been included for viewing data in both 2D and 3D over many orders of magnitude. Ambient temperature can now also be defined globally and changed parametrically. This is useful in 'what if' scenarios if a device will be operated in different temperature environments.
Further improvements to Lorentz include better coupling of surface and space charge distributions. This enables improved convergence for surface charge deposition. Lorentz 2D also includes a meniscus calculation procedure for numerical modelling of extraction of high-current ion beams from a plasma source. Computer modelling of charged particle beams is an important part in the investigation of processes that take place in different electro-physical equipments. The aim of these simulations is to investigate the charge particle beam quality, which makes optimisation for a specific application possible.
Profile plots have also had a major facelift in both 2D and 3D versions of Lorentz. These can now produce novel plots for presentation purposes. The settings and document properties post processing dialogue can define custom plot colours, allowing for experimentation with special effects which were not previously possible. A new transparency setting is also available for contours and profiles in 3D. As with all other enhancements, advanced special effects can be implemented.
