Electromagnetic Wave Simulator

About the Simulator

Dive into the fascinating world of physics with this 2D Electromagnetic Wave Simulator. Built with a highly optimized, vectorized FDTD (Finite-Difference Time-Domain) engine, this interactive sandbox allows you to visualize, manipulate, and experiment with the propagation of EM waves in real-time.

Key Features

⚡ Interactive Charged Particles

• Dynamic Emitters: Spawn multiple charged particles. Electromagnetic waves are physically generated in real-time based on the acceleration of these particles.
• Full Parameter Control: Tweak the mass, charge, velocity, and acceleration of any individual particle on the fly.
• Oscillation Modes: Set particles to oscillate horizontally, vertically, or both. Customize frequencies and amplitudes to create continuous, beautiful carrier waves.
• Follow Mode: Bind a particle to your mouse cursor and drag it around to manually "draw" waves through the simulation grid.

🧱 Material Painting & Optics

• Custom Environments: Use the built-in brush tool to paint complex barriers and optical lenses directly onto the grid.
• Realistic Physics Properties: Choose from Air, Wall, Glass, Absorber, Metal, and Water. Each material accurately simulates specific permittivity, permeability, absorption, and reflectivity.
• Observe Phenomena: Watch as waves naturally reflect off metal surfaces, refract as they pass through water and glass, or safely dissipate inside painted absorbers.

👁️ Advanced Visualization Filters

• Field Views: Toggle between rendering the Electric Field (E-Field), Magnetic Field (B-Field), or both simultaneously.
• Spectral Vision Modes: Analyze the simulation through different spectrum filters, including X-Ray, Ultraviolet, Infrared, and Radio. The engine dynamically calculates wavelengths and maps them to specific color profiles based on your chosen filter.
• Visual Tuning: Toggle automatic exposure normalization and global volume damping (Auto-Fade) to keep the wavefronts crisp and visually pleasing.

⏱️ Time Travel & Engine Control

• Snapshot Rewind: Missed a cool wave collision or want to replay an experiment? Instantly rewind the simulation by 1 or 5 seconds using the background snapshot history.
• Time Scaling: Adjust the simulation time scale. Slow down time to observe microscopic, high-frequency interactions, or speed it up for macro-level propagation.

Controls

• [TAB] - Hide / Show side control panel
• [Up/Down/Left/Right] - Navigate and adjust panel values quickly
• [N] - Spawn a new particle at your mouse cursor
• [G] - Toggle "Follow Mouse" for the selected particle
• [Q] / [W] / [E] - Quick switch between Particle, Paint, and Erase tools
• [SPACE] - Pause / Resume simulation
• [R] / [T] - Rewind 1 second / 5 seconds
• [Y] - Return to live mode
• [C] / [M] - Clear all EM fields / Clear all painted materials