PointSource

PointSource models a continuous wave point source which radiates in all directions, at a constant specified brightness. PointSource is on from t=-infinity: this means it can provide light to a sensor even if the sensor timing requires light to leave the source prior to t=0. Unlike some other sources, PointSource has no triggering input.

Two different point source modeling approaches are presently supported. In the first, the initial field is nonzero at only a single mesh point, and spatial filtering, absorbing boundaries, and/or large meshes are used to avoid wraparound. In the second, we use a back-propagation technique that preserves only that part of the energy which will propagate to the neighborhood of the aperture. The second is the default and recommended method, and works with the superaperture setting in AtmoPath or PropagationController.