1. Multiphysics simulation for laser engineers

1.1 What is a multiphysics code?

Often, a calculation code is specialized for a particular field of physics. A multiphysics code is a tool that combines the functions of several specialized codes, enabling several physical phenomena to be simulated simultaneously on the same object. Commercial offers for multiphysics codes are on the increase, and their use is becoming more widespread in the fields of research and technical development. Open-source codes do exist, but are generally less user-friendly and require more computer knowledge.

More specifically, for the laser field, the advantage of a multiphysics code is that it is capable of calculating optical index variations as a function of mechanical stress and local temperatures, but also of taking into account...