Apr 27 2009
Breault Research Organization (BRO) has released a new version of the company's Advanced Systems Analysis Program (ASAP).
The ASAP 2009 V1R1 release adds significant capability to the program well known to the optics industry as the most sophisticated tool available for virtual prototyping of optical systems and devices.
Industry applications for ASAP include automotive, architectural and specialty illumination design, simulation of laser systems and other coherent devices, stray light analysis of telescopes and space-based imaging systems, display modeling, complete biomedical system modeling, micro-optical device modeling, and others.
ASAP 2009 V1R1 Highlights:
Conformal Radiometry - Visualize distributions of light and perform radiometric calculations on any number of planar or non-planar system objects involved in a single ray trace, and use transparent detectors as non-invasive probes to monitor light at multiple locations in a system.
BRO Digitizer - Import data from images in .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .png, and .wmf format, and use a flexible toolset for extracting numerical data from various curve types with context-sensitive output for select ASAP commands, including those for defining media, coatings, and apodizations. No longer will you need to pull out your ruler and calculator to take data points from paper graphs.
Liquid Crystal Cell - Characterize liquid crystal materials using the new Liquid Crystal Cell (LCC) command. This highly flexible command, in its simplest form, can describe a linearly varying orientation. For more complex systems, use tables or mathematical expressions to describe director orientation and model a wide range of commercially important LC systems.
General Uniaxial Medium - Use the new General Uniaxial Medium (GUM) to define uniaxial materials by physical thickness rather than optical thickness, and with optional reflectance specified using plane-of-incidence polarization states rather than device eigenmodes - useful for film modeling where optical thickness is not strictly controlled or where fractional-wave retardance variations are not of concern.
Stokes-Vector Mode for Polarization - Simulate many new system types with the ability to track polarization in Stokes-vector mode. Explore partial polarization without the need for ensemble averaging to represent partially polarized states. Use the Poincaré Sphere Visualization Tool to analyze polarization characteristics, including the degree of polarization.
Mueller Matrix Element - In concert with the capability to represent polarization using a Stokes-vector formalism, use the Mueller polarization device to describe elements that alter the polarization state and degree of polarization. This provides a path from polarized to unpolarized light that makes modeling depolarizing elements easier than ever.
Optimization - Define contiguous blocks of variables, objectives, and constraints with quick multi-row selections in the ASAP Script editor, and use text-based Optimization State Files (.osf) to save, review, and later resume optimizations in progress. Quickly return to the last optimization cycle completed by importing settings and run data from a saved .osf file.
REMOTE - For the first time ever in the optical software industry, perform true distributed processing using the full computing power of dozens or possibly hundreds of available machines. Initialize and perform distributed processing tasks on networked computers by licensing REMOTE sessions in a variety of bundles ranging from 1 to 100 sessions. Use the enhanced REMOTE user interface to control tasking of available computers, processors, and cores, and retrieve data from REMOTE sessions.
According to BRO CEO Dr. Kevin Garcia, "ASAP 2009 represents the most feature-rich release in the stellar history of the software and includes an enhancement to distributed processing that marks a paradigm shift in the way engineers and designers will use optical software to improve productivity, evaluate creative ideas, reduce product time to market, and roll-out products representing leaps in innovation."
ASAP users in 35 countries model and analyze the finest details of optical systems, and depend on their simulations to mirror real-world performance. ASAP analyses validate designs and support smooth transitions to manufacturing.