Input file format

All ACE3P solvers read a plain-text input file with nested blocks of Key: value pairs. The file is named <project>.<module>.

Syntax

pillbox.omega3p

ModelInfo : {
  File: ./pillbox4.ncdf

  BoundaryCondition : {
    Magnetic: 1, 2
    Exterior: 6
  }

  SurfaceMaterial : {
    ReferenceNumber: 6
    Sigma: 5.8e7
  }
}

FiniteElement: {
  Order:           2
  CurvedSurfaces: on
}

EigenSolver : {
  NumEigenvalues: 2
  FrequencyShift:  1.0e9
}

PostProcess : {
  Toggle: on
  ModeFile: mode
}

Rules:

• A block is Name : { ... }. Blocks nest. The space before the colon is optional.
• A scalar entry is Key: value. Lists are comma separated: Magnetic: 1, 2.
• Comments use // to end of line or /* ... */ for a range. Commenting out a whole block is the usual way to disable it.
• Keywords are case sensitive. Order and order are different.
• A block may be repeated when the solver expects a list of them, for example several Material or Port blocks.
• Numbers accept scientific notation: 5.8e7, 1.0e9.
• Switches accept on and off.

Keyword reference

The reference section lists every keyword each solver reads, with its type and default value, generated from the source code. Use it to check spelling and defaults.

Blocks common to all modules

ModelInfo

Describes the mesh and the physical boundary conditions.

Key	Meaning
File	Path to the .ncdf mesh
BoundaryCondition	Maps boundary types to sideset IDs. See below.
Material	Volume material by block Attribute. Default is vacuum. Repeat for several materials.
SurfaceMaterial	Surface conductivity Sigma on a boundary ReferenceNumber, used for wall loss and Q0

Boundary condition types:

Type	Physics	Typical use
Electric	Tangential E = 0, perfect electric conductor	Metal walls when wall loss is not needed, electric symmetry plane
Magnetic	Tangential H = 0	Magnetic symmetry plane
Exterior	Metal wall with finite conductivity from SurfaceMaterial	Cavity wall when Q0 is wanted
Waveguide	Port surface; modal expansion with Port blocks	Couplers, beam pipe ends
Absorbing	Simple first-order absorbing boundary	Beam pipe ends when modal accuracy is not needed
Periodic_M, Periodic_S	Master and slave periodic surfaces with phase advance Theta in degrees	Traveling-wave structures
Impedance	Surface impedance boundary	Thin coatings, lossy surfaces

Material

Material : {
  Attribute: 2          // Cubit block ID
  Epsilon: 10.0         // relative permittivity
  EpsilonImag: -1.52    // negative imaginary part for loss
  Mu: 1.0               // relative permeability
}

FiniteElement

Key	Meaning
Order	Polynomial order of the vector basis functions, 1 to 6. Order 2 is the usual choice. Higher order gives more accuracy per element at higher cost.
CurvedSurfaces	on to use the quadratic mid-edge nodes of tetra10 elements for curved geometry. Keep this on.

PostProcess

Key	Meaning
Toggle	on writes field files for ParaView
ModeFile	Prefix for the .mod files in the results directory

Module-specific blocks

Each solver adds its own blocks: EigenSolver and Port for Omega3P, SParameter and frequency scan settings for S3P, time-stepping and excitation for T3P, emission and tracking parameters for Track3P. These are documented in the module guides.

Echo of parsed input

Every solver prints the parsed input, with defaults filled in, near the top of its .out file under the heading input parameters, KVC syntax. Compare that echo against your file when a keyword seems to be ignored. A misspelled keyword is silently dropped, so the echo is the quickest way to catch typos.