COMSOL Multiphysics is a software platform used for modeling and simulating physics-based systems. It is particularly popular for its capabilities in multiphysics simulation, which means it can handle simulations involving multiple physical phenomena simultaneously. This includes, but is not limited to, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, electromagnetics, structural mechanics, and chemical reactions.
Users can create models in COMSOL Multiphysics by defining the geometry, specifying the physics involved, and setting boundary conditions. The software then solves the mathematical equations governing the physical phenomena to simulate the behavior of the system. COMSOL is widely used in various scientific and engineering fields, such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, and chemical engineering, to analyze and optimize the performance of devices and systems.
COMSOL provides a user-friendly interface and a wide range of predefined physics modules, making it accessible to users with different backgrounds and expertise levels. It is often employed in research, product development, and academic settings for gaining insights into complex physical processes and improving the design and performance of engineering systems.
COMSOL Multiphysics includes a range of built-in physical constants that users can utilize in their simulations. These constants are predefined values associated with various physical properties and are used in the mathematical equations that govern the simulation. Some examples of physical constants that might be available in COMSOL include:
Z0_const Characteristic impedance of vacuum (impedance of free space)
me_const Electron mass
e_const Elementary charge
G_const Gravitational constant
mn_const Neutron mass
mu0_const Permeability of vacuum (magnetic constant)
epsilon0_const Permittivity of vacuum (electric constant)
h_const Planck’s constant
mp_const Proton mass
c_const Speed of light in vacuum
g_const Acceleration of gravity
N_A_const Avogadro constant
k_B_const Boltzmann constant
COMSOL Multiphysics provides a variety of built-in mathematical functions that users can use in their simulation models. These functions cover a range of mathematical operations and operations specific to physical simulations. Some common types of mathematical functions available in COMSOL include:
abs(x) Absolute value
acos(x) Inverse cosine (in radians)
acosh(x) Inverse hyperbolic cosine
acot(x) Inverse cotangent (in radians)
acoth(x) Inverse hyperbolic cotangent
acsc(x) Inverse cosecant (in radians)
acsch(x) Inverse hyperbolic cosecant
arg(z) Phase angle (in radians)
asec(x) Inverse secant (in radians)
asech(x) Inverse hyperbolic secant
asin(x) Inverse sine (in radians)
asinh(x) Inverse hyperbolic sine
atan(x) Inverse tangent (in radians)
atan2(y,x) Four-quadrant inverse tangent (in radians)
atanh(x) Inverse hyperbolic tangent
besselj(n,z) Bessel function of the first kind
bessely(n,z) Bessel function of the second kind
besseli(n,z) Modified Bessel function of the first kind
besselk(n,z) Modified Bessel function of the second kind
binomial(n,k) Binomial coefficient
ceil(x) Nearest following integer
conj(x) Complex conjugate
cos(z) Cosine
cosh(x) Hyperbolic cosine
cot(x) Cotangent
coth(x) Hyperbolic cotangent
csc(z) Cosecant
csch(x) Hyperbolic cosecant
erf(x) Error function
exp(x) Exponential
factorial(n) Factorial of nonnegative integer
floor(x) Nearest previous integer
gamma(x) Gamma function
imag(x) Imaginary part
log(x) Natural logarithm
log10(x) Base-10 logarithm
log2(x) Base-2 logarithm
max(x,y) Maximum of two arguments
min(x,y) Minimum of two arguments
mod(x,y) Modulo operator
range(start,step,end) Create a range of numbers (see Entering Ranges and Vector-Valued Expressions)
real(x) Real part
round(x) Round to closest integer
sec(z) Secant
sech(x) Hyperbolic secant
sign(x) Signum function
sin(z) Sine
sinh(x) Hyperbolic sine
sqrt(x) Square root
tan(z) Tangent
tanh(x) Hyperbolic tangent
COMSOL Multiphysics includes a variety of built-in variables that users can utilize in their simulation models. These variables are predefined and represent quantities such as physical properties, parameters, and other relevant values. Some common built-in variables in COMSOL include:
t Time.
freq Frequency.
lambda Eigenvalues.
phase Phase angle.
x, y, z, r, X, Y, Z, R Position.
s, s1, s2 Edge/surface parameters.
n, nx, ny, nz, nr Edge/surface normals.
tx, ty, tz, tr Edge tangents.
t1x, t1y, t1z, t2x, t2y, t2z Surface tangents.
un, unx, uny, unz Edge/surface upward normals.
dn, dnx, dny, dnz Edge/surface downward normals.
eps, i, j, pi, inf, Inf, nan, NaN Numerical constants.
dom The domain number, boundary number, edge number, or point number.
meshtype Mesh type index for the mesh element; this is the number of edges in the element.
meshelement Mesh element number.
meshvol Volume/area/length of the (linearized) mesh element.
dvol Volume/area/length scale factor variable; this is the determinant of the Jacobian matrix for the mapping from local (element) coordinates to global coordinates.
timestep Current time step.
particleindex A unique positive integer to define each particle or ray.
particlestatus An integer that corresponds to the status of a particle or ray, which indicates whether the particle or ray is active or has been subjected to certain types of boundary conditions.