News on Software from RP Photonics
Here we publish (roughly once per month) news and useful hints on software – for example, about the use and application of our software products, new features, updates and upgrades, and on algorithms. We do this in the form of a blog, which we try to make informative and useful.
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Articles in Reverse Chronological Order
Note that there is also a list of articles grouped by topics.
| 2020-05-25 | The Numerical Power Package for RP Fiber Power RP Photonics announces the Numerical Power Package as an add-on to RP Fiber Power. This enhances the speed of certain simulations by more than a factor of 5. |
| 2020-03-02 | Creating Multimode Beams in Numerical Beam Propagation Simulations of beam propagation often need multimode input beams. Here, it is explained how to generate such inputs with random phase and amplitude profiles. |
| 2019-09-10 | Improvements Concerning Graphics Windows This article informs you on various improvements of the user interface of our software, specifically concerning windows for graphical diagrams. |
| 2018-12-03 | Using Monitors With High Screen Resolution Software applications occasionally have problems with correctly displaying the user interface when using monitors with particularly high resolution. This article explains the problem and how to solve it. Also, it informs you how RP Photonics has handled this technical issue. |
| 2018-09-12 | Propagating Optical Fields in Fibers Based on Modes or with Numerical Beam Propagation Mode-based techniques and numerical beam propagation are very different technical methods for propagating optical fields. This article explains them and discusses their limitations in various cases. |
| 2018-08-02 | Data Grids for Numerical Beam Propagation Numerical beam propagation is a very versatile technique in optics and photonics. However, the choice of grid parameters is not a trivial matter; this issue is discussed in some detail here. |
| 2018-07-02 | Namespaces: An Elegant Approach for Avoiding Name Conflicts The concept of namespaces is very useful for avoiding name conflicts in programming languages. It has thus been implemented in the script language supported by software from RP Photonics - e.g. RP Fiber Power. Here, it is explained with a real-life example which awkward problems can be elegantly solved with namespaces. |
| 2018-05-22 | Numerical Representation of Ultrashort Pulses When simulating the propagation of ultrashort light pulses, you need to numerically represent those pulses. Here, you can learn how to properly do that and take care of various important limitations. That is highly relevant if you either use a pulse propagation software or develop one yourself. |
| 2018-04-20 | How to Treat Thermal Lensing in Simulations Thermal lensing needs to be taken into account in some simulations concerning lasers or amplifiers. Here, it is briefly described what the origins of thermal lensing and then how that effect can be treated in software from RP Photonics, namely in RP Fiber Power and RP Resonator. |
| 2018-03-19 | Various Improvements for the Simulation Software RP Fiber Power This article reports various improvements of the simulation and design software RP Fiber Power for fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers and passive fiber devices. Existing users can obtain free updates. |
| 2018-02-22 | Modeling Pair-induced Quenching in Erbium-doped Fiber Amplifiers For modeling pair-induced quenching processes e.g. in erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, one needs array equation model where the excitation rate is properly reduced for paired ions. Recently, the software RP Fiber Power has been extended such that this can be done. License holders can get a free update. |
| 2018-01-19 | This article explains how to make nice color plots in various software programs of RP Photonics. It is quite simple to use the cp: command in conjunction with predefined color scale functions. |
| 2017-11-17 | Modeling Multi-Stage Amplifiers with RP Fiber Power Optical amplifiers and other devices containing multiple active fiber stages can be modeled with the software RP Fiber Power. The article discusses different approaches and shows you how to easily implement quite sophisticated models. |
| 2017-10-23 | Self Starting of Passively Mode-locked Lasers: Difficult to Model Although it may seem to be simple to numerically simulate the self-starting behavior of a passively mode-locked laser, there can be various substantial difficulties, making such approaches impractical. |
| 2017-09-22 | Pulse Amplification in the Steady State In simulations of the amplification of ultrashort pulse trains, it can be a challenge to find the steady state of the amplifier. The article explains different matters, which can be easily applied with suitable simulation software such as RP Fiber Power. |
| 2017-08-18 | How to Efficiently Track Down Numerical Problems It can be rather hard to track down numerical problems e.g. in beam propagation and to find practical solutions. However, some good methodology can help a lot. An example case allows you to take home a number of quite useful lessons. |
| 2017-07-13 | The main software products of RP Photonics have been equipped with further substantial new features, including syntax highlighting, parameter help on built-in functions, syntax checking and automatic code reformatting. |
| 2017-05-31 | A Powerful Debugger and Further New Software Features Various software products from RP Photonics have obtain substantial improvements - notably a script debugger in the latest versions, but also a number of other nice features which users of previous versions can obtain with free updates. |
| 2017-04-26 | How to Calculate Misalignment Effects in Laser Resonators For practical laser resonator designs, it is essential to consider the sensitivity to a misalignment of resonator mirrors. Here, it is explained how that sensitivity can be calculated and taken into account in numerical optimizations. |
| 2017-03-28 | At which Wavelength will a Laser Emit? It is explained what physically determines the emission wavelength of a laser with a broadband gain medium, and how one can most efficiently calculate the emission wavelength with a numerical model. |
| 2017-03-01 | Stimulated Raman Scattering in Beam Propagation Calculations The RP Fiber Power software it has been extended such that stimulated Raman scattering can now be included in simulations with numerical beam propagation. The implementation is highly flexible, allowing for arbitrary transverse profiles of nonlinear coefficients and interactions between a substantial number of waves with different wavelengths. |
| 2017-01-19 | Character Encodings: a Useful Overview and New Features for Software of RP Photonics Here you can get a quite useful introduction into the problem of character encodings in computer memory and files. Also, the article discusses how software from RP Photonics has been modernized such that it can avoid encoding problems in virtually all cases. |
| 2016-12-21 | Laser Simulations which Do Not Work There are certain situations where the results from simplified analytical or numerical laser models can be very misleading, because reality is substantially more complicated. In some situations, it is even better to refrain from laser modeling, because realistic models are not practical. In practice, it can be essential to obtain competent otherwise on such matters. |
| 2016-11-17 | Convenient New Feature: Execute Post-Scripts after Your Main Script This article introduces a convenient new feature for all our software products supporting our powerful script language. It allows the execution of additional scripts after your main script, for example in order to generate additional outputs. |
| 2016-09-27 | Transverse Dependencies in Fiber Amplifier and Laser Modeling Pump and signal waves in fiber amplifiers and lasers can exhibit substantial transverse intensity variations. Nevertheless, computer models neglecting the transverse dimension, only using some overlap factors, can produce very reasonable results, as long as the intensity profiles of the involved waves are at least relatively similar. With proper simulation software, one can of course easily test such things. |
| 2016-08-29 | This posting tells you about a number of really handy software tools from another software company. They are useful for everyday work at the computer, and partly for those who deliver software to others. |
| 2016-07-22 | Ultrashort Pulse Simulations with the RP Fiber Power Software It is shown how the propagation of ultrashort pulses e.g. in mode-locked fiber lasers, bulk lasers, regenerative amplifiers and fiber amplifiers can be numerically simulated - specifically, with the software RP Fiber Power from RP Photonics. The used concept, involving function calls rather than commands for sending the pulse through various optical components, turns out to be extremely flexible, allowing the user to implement quite sophisticated simulations. |
| 2016-06-21 | New Feature: Code Snippets Library A new feature has been implemented in our software products RP Fiber Power, RP Coating, RP ProPulse and RP Resonator: the code snippets library, where you can conveniently get snippets of script code for common purposes. Our customers can get this with a free update. |
| 2016-05-27 | How to Export Data From Our Software This article explains how data can be exported to files (all imported from files) in software from RP Photonics. Certain script commands and functions give you the uttermost flexibility. |
| 2016-04-12 | Fiber Laser Model with More Than One Active Fiber This article demonstrates how a script language in a powerful simulation software allows you to calculate things which are apparently not covered with the offered features. The discussed example case is a fiber laser containing two active fibers rather than only one, as usual. |
| 2016-03-09 | 64-bit Versions for Any Customer RP Photonics has changed its policy concerning 64-bit software versions: every user now has the free choice between a 32-bit and 64-bit version. |
| 2016-02-12 | Commercial and Non-commercial Licenses for RP Software For software from RP Photonics, commercial and non-commercial licenses are available. This article discusses what exactly is considered as non-commercial, what difference it makes for the user and what happens if the type of use changes. |
| 2015-12-10 | Custom Forms in RP Resonator and RP Coating In the software products RP Resonator for laser resonator design and RP Coating for thin-film optics, it is now possible to define so-called custom forms - forms which can be tailored to specific applications by the users or within the technical support. That feature has previously been introduced for the RP Fiber Power software. |
| 2015-10-31 | The Powerful Expression Engine in Software from RP Photonics This article explains the most important features of our expression engine, which is contained in various software products for the modeling of fiber amplifiers and lasers, passive fiber optics, bulk lasers and multilayer optics. It demonstrates that expressions can not only be used for performing sophisticated mathematical calculations, but also for defining and modifying physics models, storing or retrieving data in or from files, defining optimization goals and displaying results in text or graphical form. |
| 2015-10-01 | Making Plots With a Variation of Operation or System Parameters This article gives you a lot of useful hints for preparing plots with our software. Along the x axis of a diagram, you can vary any operation or system parameter. It is not difficult even to implement additional options, such as to automatically adjust an input power so as to obtain a certain output power. |
| 2015-08-20 | Reasons for Not Engaging in Computer Modeling of Laser Devices There can be many reasons not to engage in computer modeling in the context of laser development and laser science, but not all of them are good reasons. A number of them is discussed in this article. |
| 2015-07-13 | Regular Expressions – a Powerful Mechanism for Search & Replace Operations and Input Validation Regular expressions are very powerful tools for searching in text files, for replacing text and for checking whether inputs are in accordance with certain standouts. Although it is not easy to learn the full functionality of this mechanism, it can be very worthwhile to learn at least the basics. Software from RP Photonics also supports regular expressions, and this very much facilitates e.g. the processing of input data files. |
| 2015-06-01 | A new presentation, which is also available as a video, explains in detail how a transparent laser can be realized in the form of a computer model, and how that can be used in practice to support the development of lasers in industry and science. |
| 2015-04-29 | RP Fiber Power V6: Custom Forms, Tailored to Specific Applications In our new software RP Fiber Power V6, the typical trade-off between ease of use and flexibility has been removed: one can have custom forms made for specific applications - made either by the users or within the technical support. |
| 2015-03-23 | Power Propagation vs. Beam Propagation Different methods for propagating laser beams in physical models are discussed. Depending on the situation and what is of interest, very different kinds of models can be appropriate. |
| 2015-02-18 | Temporally Limited Licenses for RP Software RP Photonics now offers temporally limited software licenses, which may be useful e.g. if the software is needed only for limited time, if only a limited amount of money is available at a time, or if somebody wants to very thoroughly test the software before definitely deciding for it. |
| 2015-01-26 | Using Software Requires Trust – More Than You Might Think Using software from any third party requires substantial trust. This article discusses what aspects are relevant in this context and how to form an opinion on whether such trust is justified. |
| 2014-11-24 | Some Tips Concerning the Script Language of RP Software This article gives some useful tips for the use of the script language in software from RP Photonics. In particular, it explains the difference between commands and expressions, the use of control structures in expressions in the order of execution in scripts. |
| 2014-10-20 | Typical Limitations of Numerical Modeling This article gives an overview on typical problems and limitations for numerical modeling projects in the context of laser technology. |
| 2014-09-10 | 64-bit Versions of RP Software RP software usually comes as 32-bit code. However, a 64-bit version is available to any customer having at least two user licenses for certain product. Advantages of 64-bit versions are that one can use any amount of main memory and that the code is often significantly faster. |
| 2014-07-17 | What Makes a Good Physics Model This article explains when and how a physics model can be useful in research and development, and what aspects are relevant in this context. The proper role of software in physics modeling is discussed, and some advice based on practical experience is given. |
| 2014-06-11 | RP Fiber Calculator PRO is Finished! RP Photonics now offers the RP Fiber Calculator PRO software - an improved version of the free RP Fiber Calculator product. |
| 2014-03-18 | A New Fiber Optics Software – Free to Use! RP Photonics published a new fiber optics software and allows the free use even for commercial purposes. The software can calculate fiber modes from index profiles and simulate light propagation in fibers. |
| 2013-12-12 | How to Move a Software License to a New PC Here we explain how you can move our software to another PC. Essentially, you need to deactivate the license on the old PC in order to prove that you are no longer using it there. |
| 2013-10-21 | New Video for the RP Fiber Power Software; Free Updates RP Photonics has published new video, which gives a complete overview on the software RP Fiber Power V5. |
| 2013-10-02 | How Mathematical Expressions are Treated in the Script Language of RP Photonics Software This post explains how the processing of mathematical expressions works in the script language of software by RP Photonics. Although the user does not need to know that, it may be interesting to look behind the scenes. |
| 2013-09-02 | RP Fiber Power V5: Numerical Beam Propagation Today we report about the new V5 of the RP Fiber Power software. It allows one to numerically simulate the wave propagation in fibers and other waveguides. |
| 2013-06-28 | Here, we explain improvements of RP Software, which are available as updates, our update and upgrade policy, and how updates are done. |
| 2013-06-13 | Validating Numerical Simulation Software The validation of numerical simulation software, e.g. for simulating the performance of fiber amplifiers and fiber lasers, is a great challenge. The article discusses various aspects which need to be validated, and shows that very different means are required. The comparison between calculated and experimental results is only one part of the game. |
Articles Grouped by Topics
(Click on the headings to open or close the sections.)
Numerical Techniques
| 2020-03-02 | Creating Multimode Beams in Numerical Beam Propagation Simulations of beam propagation often need multimode input beams. Here, it is explained how to generate such inputs with random phase and amplitude profiles. |
| 2018-09-12 | Propagating Optical Fields in Fibers Based on Modes or with Numerical Beam Propagation Mode-based techniques and numerical beam propagation are very different technical methods for propagating optical fields. This article explains them and discusses their limitations in various cases. |
| 2018-08-02 | Data Grids for Numerical Beam Propagation Numerical beam propagation is a very versatile technique in optics and photonics. However, the choice of grid parameters is not a trivial matter; this issue is discussed in some detail here. |
| 2018-05-22 | Numerical Representation of Ultrashort Pulses When simulating the propagation of ultrashort light pulses, you need to numerically represent those pulses. Here, you can learn how to properly do that and take care of various important limitations. That is highly relevant if you either use a pulse propagation software or develop one yourself. |
| 2018-04-20 | How to Treat Thermal Lensing in Simulations Thermal lensing needs to be taken into account in some simulations concerning lasers or amplifiers. Here, it is briefly described what the origins of thermal lensing and then how that effect can be treated in software from RP Photonics, namely in RP Fiber Power and RP Resonator. |
| 2017-11-17 | Modeling Multi-Stage Amplifiers with RP Fiber Power Optical amplifiers and other devices containing multiple active fiber stages can be modeled with the software RP Fiber Power. The article discusses different approaches and shows you how to easily implement quite sophisticated models. |
| 2017-09-22 | Pulse Amplification in the Steady State In simulations of the amplification of ultrashort pulse trains, it can be a challenge to find the steady state of the amplifier. The article explains different matters, which can be easily applied with suitable simulation software such as RP Fiber Power. |
| 2017-04-26 | How to Calculate Misalignment Effects in Laser Resonators For practical laser resonator designs, it is essential to consider the sensitivity to a misalignment of resonator mirrors. Here, it is explained how that sensitivity can be calculated and taken into account in numerical optimizations. |
| 2017-03-28 | At which Wavelength will a Laser Emit? It is explained what physically determines the emission wavelength of a laser with a broadband gain medium, and how one can most efficiently calculate the emission wavelength with a numerical model. |
| 2017-03-01 | Stimulated Raman Scattering in Beam Propagation Calculations The RP Fiber Power software it has been extended such that stimulated Raman scattering can now be included in simulations with numerical beam propagation. The implementation is highly flexible, allowing for arbitrary transverse profiles of nonlinear coefficients and interactions between a substantial number of waves with different wavelengths. |
| 2016-12-21 | Laser Simulations which Do Not Work There are certain situations where the results from simplified analytical or numerical laser models can be very misleading, because reality is substantially more complicated. In some situations, it is even better to refrain from laser modeling, because realistic models are not practical. In practice, it can be essential to obtain competent otherwise on such matters. |
| 2016-09-27 | Transverse Dependencies in Fiber Amplifier and Laser Modeling Pump and signal waves in fiber amplifiers and lasers can exhibit substantial transverse intensity variations. Nevertheless, computer models neglecting the transverse dimension, only using some overlap factors, can produce very reasonable results, as long as the intensity profiles of the involved waves are at least relatively similar. With proper simulation software, one can of course easily test such things. |
| 2016-07-22 | Ultrashort Pulse Simulations with the RP Fiber Power Software It is shown how the propagation of ultrashort pulses e.g. in mode-locked fiber lasers, bulk lasers, regenerative amplifiers and fiber amplifiers can be numerically simulated - specifically, with the software RP Fiber Power from RP Photonics. The used concept, involving function calls rather than commands for sending the pulse through various optical components, turns out to be extremely flexible, allowing the user to implement quite sophisticated simulations. |
| 2016-04-12 | Fiber Laser Model with More Than One Active Fiber This article demonstrates how a script language in a powerful simulation software allows you to calculate things which are apparently not covered with the offered features. The discussed example case is a fiber laser containing two active fibers rather than only one, as usual. |
| 2015-10-01 | Making Plots With a Variation of Operation or System Parameters This article gives you a lot of useful hints for preparing plots with our software. Along the x axis of a diagram, you can vary any operation or system parameter. It is not difficult even to implement additional options, such as to automatically adjust an input power so as to obtain a certain output power. |
| 2013-09-02 | RP Fiber Power V5: Numerical Beam Propagation Today we report about the new V5 of the RP Fiber Power software. It allows one to numerically simulate the wave propagation in fibers and other waveguides. |
Physical Modeling
| 2020-03-02 | Creating Multimode Beams in Numerical Beam Propagation Simulations of beam propagation often need multimode input beams. Here, it is explained how to generate such inputs with random phase and amplitude profiles. |
| 2018-09-12 | Propagating Optical Fields in Fibers Based on Modes or with Numerical Beam Propagation Mode-based techniques and numerical beam propagation are very different technical methods for propagating optical fields. This article explains them and discusses their limitations in various cases. |
| 2018-08-02 | Data Grids for Numerical Beam Propagation Numerical beam propagation is a very versatile technique in optics and photonics. However, the choice of grid parameters is not a trivial matter; this issue is discussed in some detail here. |
| 2018-05-22 | Numerical Representation of Ultrashort Pulses When simulating the propagation of ultrashort light pulses, you need to numerically represent those pulses. Here, you can learn how to properly do that and take care of various important limitations. That is highly relevant if you either use a pulse propagation software or develop one yourself. |
| 2018-04-20 | How to Treat Thermal Lensing in Simulations Thermal lensing needs to be taken into account in some simulations concerning lasers or amplifiers. Here, it is briefly described what the origins of thermal lensing and then how that effect can be treated in software from RP Photonics, namely in RP Fiber Power and RP Resonator. |
| 2018-03-19 | Various Improvements for the Simulation Software RP Fiber Power This article reports various improvements of the simulation and design software RP Fiber Power for fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers and passive fiber devices. Existing users can obtain free updates. |
| 2018-02-22 | Modeling Pair-induced Quenching in Erbium-doped Fiber Amplifiers For modeling pair-induced quenching processes e.g. in erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, one needs array equation model where the excitation rate is properly reduced for paired ions. Recently, the software RP Fiber Power has been extended such that this can be done. License holders can get a free update. |
| 2017-11-17 | Modeling Multi-Stage Amplifiers with RP Fiber Power Optical amplifiers and other devices containing multiple active fiber stages can be modeled with the software RP Fiber Power. The article discusses different approaches and shows you how to easily implement quite sophisticated models. |
| 2017-10-23 | Self Starting of Passively Mode-locked Lasers: Difficult to Model Although it may seem to be simple to numerically simulate the self-starting behavior of a passively mode-locked laser, there can be various substantial difficulties, making such approaches impractical. |
| 2017-09-22 | Pulse Amplification in the Steady State In simulations of the amplification of ultrashort pulse trains, it can be a challenge to find the steady state of the amplifier. The article explains different matters, which can be easily applied with suitable simulation software such as RP Fiber Power. |
| 2017-04-26 | How to Calculate Misalignment Effects in Laser Resonators For practical laser resonator designs, it is essential to consider the sensitivity to a misalignment of resonator mirrors. Here, it is explained how that sensitivity can be calculated and taken into account in numerical optimizations. |
| 2017-03-28 | At which Wavelength will a Laser Emit? It is explained what physically determines the emission wavelength of a laser with a broadband gain medium, and how one can most efficiently calculate the emission wavelength with a numerical model. |
| 2017-03-01 | Stimulated Raman Scattering in Beam Propagation Calculations The RP Fiber Power software it has been extended such that stimulated Raman scattering can now be included in simulations with numerical beam propagation. The implementation is highly flexible, allowing for arbitrary transverse profiles of nonlinear coefficients and interactions between a substantial number of waves with different wavelengths. |
| 2016-12-21 | Laser Simulations which Do Not Work There are certain situations where the results from simplified analytical or numerical laser models can be very misleading, because reality is substantially more complicated. In some situations, it is even better to refrain from laser modeling, because realistic models are not practical. In practice, it can be essential to obtain competent otherwise on such matters. |
| 2016-09-27 | Transverse Dependencies in Fiber Amplifier and Laser Modeling Pump and signal waves in fiber amplifiers and lasers can exhibit substantial transverse intensity variations. Nevertheless, computer models neglecting the transverse dimension, only using some overlap factors, can produce very reasonable results, as long as the intensity profiles of the involved waves are at least relatively similar. With proper simulation software, one can of course easily test such things. |
| 2016-07-22 | Ultrashort Pulse Simulations with the RP Fiber Power Software It is shown how the propagation of ultrashort pulses e.g. in mode-locked fiber lasers, bulk lasers, regenerative amplifiers and fiber amplifiers can be numerically simulated - specifically, with the software RP Fiber Power from RP Photonics. The used concept, involving function calls rather than commands for sending the pulse through various optical components, turns out to be extremely flexible, allowing the user to implement quite sophisticated simulations. |
| 2016-04-12 | Fiber Laser Model with More Than One Active Fiber This article demonstrates how a script language in a powerful simulation software allows you to calculate things which are apparently not covered with the offered features. The discussed example case is a fiber laser containing two active fibers rather than only one, as usual. |
| 2015-08-20 | Reasons for Not Engaging in Computer Modeling of Laser Devices There can be many reasons not to engage in computer modeling in the context of laser development and laser science, but not all of them are good reasons. A number of them is discussed in this article. |
| 2015-06-01 | A new presentation, which is also available as a video, explains in detail how a transparent laser can be realized in the form of a computer model, and how that can be used in practice to support the development of lasers in industry and science. |
| 2015-03-23 | Power Propagation vs. Beam Propagation Different methods for propagating laser beams in physical models are discussed. Depending on the situation and what is of interest, very different kinds of models can be appropriate. |
| 2014-10-20 | Typical Limitations of Numerical Modeling This article gives an overview on typical problems and limitations for numerical modeling projects in the context of laser technology. |
| 2014-07-17 | What Makes a Good Physics Model This article explains when and how a physics model can be useful in research and development, and what aspects are relevant in this context. The proper role of software in physics modeling is discussed, and some advice based on practical experience is given. |
| 2013-09-02 | RP Fiber Power V5: Numerical Beam Propagation Today we report about the new V5 of the RP Fiber Power software. It allows one to numerically simulate the wave propagation in fibers and other waveguides. |
| 2013-06-13 | Validating Numerical Simulation Software The validation of numerical simulation software, e.g. for simulating the performance of fiber amplifiers and fiber lasers, is a great challenge. The article discusses various aspects which need to be validated, and shows that very different means are required. The comparison between calculated and experimental results is only one part of the game. |
Programming
| 2018-07-02 | Namespaces: An Elegant Approach for Avoiding Name Conflicts The concept of namespaces is very useful for avoiding name conflicts in programming languages. It has thus been implemented in the script language supported by software from RP Photonics - e.g. RP Fiber Power. Here, it is explained with a real-life example which awkward problems can be elegantly solved with namespaces. |
| 2018-01-19 | This article explains how to make nice color plots in various software programs of RP Photonics. It is quite simple to use the cp: command in conjunction with predefined color scale functions. |
| 2017-08-18 | How to Efficiently Track Down Numerical Problems It can be rather hard to track down numerical problems e.g. in beam propagation and to find practical solutions. However, some good methodology can help a lot. An example case allows you to take home a number of quite useful lessons. |
| 2017-05-31 | A Powerful Debugger and Further New Software Features Various software products from RP Photonics have obtain substantial improvements - notably a script debugger in the latest versions, but also a number of other nice features which users of previous versions can obtain with free updates. |
| 2017-01-19 | Character Encodings: a Useful Overview and New Features for Software of RP Photonics Here you can get a quite useful introduction into the problem of character encodings in computer memory and files. Also, the article discusses how software from RP Photonics has been modernized such that it can avoid encoding problems in virtually all cases. |
| 2016-11-17 | Convenient New Feature: Execute Post-Scripts after Your Main Script This article introduces a convenient new feature for all our software products supporting our powerful script language. It allows the execution of additional scripts after your main script, for example in order to generate additional outputs. |
| 2016-06-21 | New Feature: Code Snippets Library A new feature has been implemented in our software products RP Fiber Power, RP Coating, RP ProPulse and RP Resonator: the code snippets library, where you can conveniently get snippets of script code for common purposes. Our customers can get this with a free update. |
| 2016-05-27 | How to Export Data From Our Software This article explains how data can be exported to files (all imported from files) in software from RP Photonics. Certain script commands and functions give you the uttermost flexibility. |
| 2015-10-31 | The Powerful Expression Engine in Software from RP Photonics This article explains the most important features of our expression engine, which is contained in various software products for the modeling of fiber amplifiers and lasers, passive fiber optics, bulk lasers and multilayer optics. It demonstrates that expressions can not only be used for performing sophisticated mathematical calculations, but also for defining and modifying physics models, storing or retrieving data in or from files, defining optimization goals and displaying results in text or graphical form. |
| 2015-07-13 | Regular Expressions – a Powerful Mechanism for Search & Replace Operations and Input Validation Regular expressions are very powerful tools for searching in text files, for replacing text and for checking whether inputs are in accordance with certain standouts. Although it is not easy to learn the full functionality of this mechanism, it can be very worthwhile to learn at least the basics. Software from RP Photonics also supports regular expressions, and this very much facilitates e.g. the processing of input data files. |
| 2014-11-24 | Some Tips Concerning the Script Language of RP Software This article gives some useful tips for the use of the script language in software from RP Photonics. In particular, it explains the difference between commands and expressions, the use of control structures in expressions in the order of execution in scripts. |
| 2013-10-02 | How Mathematical Expressions are Treated in the Script Language of RP Photonics Software This post explains how the processing of mathematical expressions works in the script language of software by RP Photonics. Although the user does not need to know that, it may be interesting to look behind the scenes. |
Software Licenses
| 2016-03-09 | 64-bit Versions for Any Customer RP Photonics has changed its policy concerning 64-bit software versions: every user now has the free choice between a 32-bit and 64-bit version. |
| 2016-02-12 | Commercial and Non-commercial Licenses for RP Software For software from RP Photonics, commercial and non-commercial licenses are available. This article discusses what exactly is considered as non-commercial, what difference it makes for the user and what happens if the type of use changes. |
| 2015-02-18 | Temporally Limited Licenses for RP Software RP Photonics now offers temporally limited software licenses, which may be useful e.g. if the software is needed only for limited time, if only a limited amount of money is available at a time, or if somebody wants to very thoroughly test the software before definitely deciding for it. |
| 2014-09-10 | 64-bit Versions of RP Software RP software usually comes as 32-bit code. However, a 64-bit version is available to any customer having at least two user licenses for certain product. Advantages of 64-bit versions are that one can use any amount of main memory and that the code is often significantly faster. |
| 2013-12-12 | How to Move a Software License to a New PC Here we explain how you can move our software to another PC. Essentially, you need to deactivate the license on the old PC in order to prove that you are no longer using it there. |
| 2013-10-21 | New Video for the RP Fiber Power Software; Free Updates RP Photonics has published new video, which gives a complete overview on the software RP Fiber Power V5. |
| 2013-06-28 | Here, we explain improvements of RP Software, which are available as updates, our update and upgrade policy, and how updates are done. |
Software Products
| 2020-05-25 | The Numerical Power Package for RP Fiber Power RP Photonics announces the Numerical Power Package as an add-on to RP Fiber Power. This enhances the speed of certain simulations by more than a factor of 5. |
| 2018-03-19 | Various Improvements for the Simulation Software RP Fiber Power This article reports various improvements of the simulation and design software RP Fiber Power for fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers and passive fiber devices. Existing users can obtain free updates. |
| 2017-07-13 | The main software products of RP Photonics have been equipped with further substantial new features, including syntax highlighting, parameter help on built-in functions, syntax checking and automatic code reformatting. |
| 2017-05-31 | A Powerful Debugger and Further New Software Features Various software products from RP Photonics have obtain substantial improvements - notably a script debugger in the latest versions, but also a number of other nice features which users of previous versions can obtain with free updates. |
| 2016-08-29 | This posting tells you about a number of really handy software tools from another software company. They are useful for everyday work at the computer, and partly for those who deliver software to others. |
| 2015-12-10 | Custom Forms in RP Resonator and RP Coating In the software products RP Resonator for laser resonator design and RP Coating for thin-film optics, it is now possible to define so-called custom forms - forms which can be tailored to specific applications by the users or within the technical support. That feature has previously been introduced for the RP Fiber Power software. |
| 2014-06-11 | RP Fiber Calculator PRO is Finished! RP Photonics now offers the RP Fiber Calculator PRO software - an improved version of the free RP Fiber Calculator product. |
| 2014-03-18 | A New Fiber Optics Software – Free to Use! RP Photonics published a new fiber optics software and allows the free use even for commercial purposes. The software can calculate fiber modes from index profiles and simulate light propagation in fibers. |
| 2013-10-21 | New Video for the RP Fiber Power Software; Free Updates RP Photonics has published new video, which gives a complete overview on the software RP Fiber Power V5. |
| 2013-09-02 | RP Fiber Power V5: Numerical Beam Propagation Today we report about the new V5 of the RP Fiber Power software. It allows one to numerically simulate the wave propagation in fibers and other waveguides. |
User Interface
| 2019-09-10 | Improvements Concerning Graphics Windows This article informs you on various improvements of the user interface of our software, specifically concerning windows for graphical diagrams. |
| 2018-12-03 | Using Monitors With High Screen Resolution Software applications occasionally have problems with correctly displaying the user interface when using monitors with particularly high resolution. This article explains the problem and how to solve it. Also, it informs you how RP Photonics has handled this technical issue. |
| 2017-07-13 | The main software products of RP Photonics have been equipped with further substantial new features, including syntax highlighting, parameter help on built-in functions, syntax checking and automatic code reformatting. |
| 2015-12-10 | Custom Forms in RP Resonator and RP Coating In the software products RP Resonator for laser resonator design and RP Coating for thin-film optics, it is now possible to define so-called custom forms - forms which can be tailored to specific applications by the users or within the technical support. That feature has previously been introduced for the RP Fiber Power software. |
| 2015-04-29 | RP Fiber Power V6: Custom Forms, Tailored to Specific Applications In our new software RP Fiber Power V6, the typical trade-off between ease of use and flexibility has been removed: one can have custom forms made for specific applications - made either by the users or within the technical support. |
Other Topics
| 2015-01-26 | Using Software Requires Trust – More Than You Might Think Using software from any third party requires substantial trust. This article discusses what aspects are relevant in this context and how to form an opinion on whether such trust is justified. |