Revision History (prior to Version 10.0.0)

SPECT3D revision summaries are shown below versions prior to 10.0.0:

Version 9.0.0

• An option to apply Gaussian or Square filters to XRD and Framing Camera images and fluxes has been added. Parameters are entered on the XRD and Framing Cameras tabs of the Detector widget.

  

• For Non-DCA materials (which utilize tabular opacity data), an option has been added to specify a constant opacity value and/or use a multiplier for the opacity values. Parameters are entered on the Non-DCA tab of the Materials widget.

  

• The Doppler width calculation can include a user specified turbulent velocity. The option can be found on the Transitions tab of the Advanced settings on the Kinetic Model widget:

  

• Line-of-sight/Grid intersection algorithms: New algorithms were added to compute the intersection of a line-of-sight (LOS) with the spatial grids, where intersections are evaluated for each volume element individually. The new algorithms support calculations with 2-D and 3-D Cartesian grids, and 2-D cylindrical r-z grids. Because the evaluations are performed for individual volume elements, the entire spatial grid is not read in and stored in memory, and volume element data is extracted from the hydro data file as needed. This allows SPECT3D calculations to be performed for grids with a much larger number of volume elements than previously. The disadvantage of the new approach is that it is less efficient (requiring a factor of 2 more CPU time in 2-D test calculations).
  • The new method is used automatically if a problem occurs using the standard method.
  • To always use the new method, select "Evaluate for Individual Elements" on the Image Plane tab of the Detector widget:

    

• Windows displaying plots of hydro data now stay visible when switching between setup widgets.
• The frequency grid setup when using a Line Backlighter has been improved.
• An option to use parallel processing over frequency points has been added. Parallelization is performed when computing opacities and updating radiative rate integrals. This option is selected on the Simulations tab of the Preferences dialog. The magnitude of the speedup obtained with parallel processing will vary depending on the nature of the simulation, the operating system being used and the number of processors available.

  

• MPI (Message Passing Interface) calculations:
  • The option for parallel domain decomposition now supports DCA materials (local radiation only).
  • Added option to support parallelization over detector pixels.

• VISUALIZER :
  • Drilldown has been sped up by initializing only for the requested line of sight.
  • The drilldown contour plot is first shown without the grid being drawn.
  • For circular detectors, line plots of the radial image intensity have been added to the time gated display.
• Bug fixes:
  • A problem sometimes leading to inaccurate photoionization cross-sections due to inconsistent configuration strings has been fixed.
  • Fixed a problem associated with choosing Rectangular or Disk detector in Detector widget
  • Problem locatiing the directory for the Preferences file on Windows machines running Vista OS or later has been fixed.
  • Fixed problem of possible loss of text when changing selection of Preconfigured Atomic Model on the Atomic Data widget.
  • Fix for uninitialized electron density when solving the steady state and time dependent rate equations.
  • Fix for bad values in the photoionization data.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur if there were framing camera filters but no XRD filters.
  • When computing opacities for a spectral calculation involving volume elements with a mixture of DCA and non-DCA materials, the background electron density from the non-DCA materials is now included when computing continuum lowering for DCA elements.
  • Reading atomic model file: format style changed from i8 to i10. The Mac failed to read numbers > 1000000.
  • VISUALIZER :
    • Fix for getting drilldown at the correct time for a multi-time simulation.
    • Fixed crash that could occur if the photon energy units were changed with no visible plot present.
    • Fixed menu layout problem in horizontally resolved tab of the TimeGatedWidget

Version 8.1.0

• An option to use the fluid velocity data that is present in a hydro data file is now available for SPECT3D simulations. The option is specified on the Simulation Type panel:
  
  
  

The fluid velocity variable name use in the hydro data file is specified on the Plasma panel:

• An option to include the effects of Doppler shifts on computed spectra has been added. The option is available only if fluid velocities from the hydro data file are used. The option is on the Spectral Grid panel:
  
  
• An option to perform parallel decomposition over duplicate grids (e.g., "pie slices" in z-pinch simulations) has been added. The option is invoked by using the "-p 3" switch in the command line. It is supported in batch calculations ("-b" switch).
• Documentation: A paper providing an overview of SPECT3D is included in the Appendix.
• Bug fixes:
  • Automated identification of EXODUS files using "coordx(y,z)" for the new EXODUS reader has been fixed.
  • Upgrades were added to prevent crashes when opening certain types of EXODUS files.
  • For the calculation of spectra, the shift of bound-free edges due to continuum lowering is now correctly computed on per-zone basis.

Version 8.0.0

• The methods used to calculate and store the intersection of lines of sight with the plasma grid have been improved for grids in Exodus (NETCDF) files. The improvements should shorten the time taken for a calculation.
• For 2-D and 3-D Cartesian grids from an Exodus (NETCDF) file, there is an option on the Detector panel to calculate the intersection of lines of sight with the plasma grid by loading portions of the grid at a time instead of the whole grid. Loading portions of the grid improves memory usage and is useful in calculations with a very large number of volume elements (>> 10⁶).
  
  
  
• Compton scattering (i.e., the high energy correction to classical electron (Thomson) scattering) has been included in the electron scattering term. This results in a decrease in the extinction coefficient at very high photon energies.
• There is an option on the Simulation Type panel to use separate ion and electron temperature data from the hydro file:
  
  

  The variable name used for mapping the hydro ion temperature data to the SPECT3D ion temperature is specified in the Plasma panel:

  

• XRD and Framing Camera filters can be specified by the atomic elements they contain or by a filter response function file.

• The Detector-Target Orientation viewer can now be used for a 3-D plasma . Only the bounding box of the plasma is shown.
• Axes, positioned at (0, 0, 0) in plasma coordinates, can be shown in the Detector-Target Orientation viewer.
  
  
  
• The maximum and minimum plasma coordinates of the plasma can be viewed using the View grid bounds button on the Detector-Target Orientation viewer.
• VISUALIZER
  • For a circularly symmetric detector, the Time Resolved Image window contains an option to show a linear plot of the intensity vs. radius.
    
    
    
• Bug fixes:
• The contribution to the bound-free source function (emissivity and opacity) is now ignored for transitions in which the occupation probability of one of the states is extremely small.

Version 7.3.1

• Bug fixes:
  • Fix for calculations with non-DCA materials only.

Version 7.3.0

• Both SPECT3D and VISUALIZER have been updated to utilize a more advanced version of the user interface software library.
• Elements with atomic number greater than 36 have been enabled for all users.
• Backlighter specified by data in a file: Files can be specified for multiple times.
• VISUALIZER:
  • There is an option to add noise to the spectrum to further aid comparisons with experimental spectra.
• Bug fixes:
  • Backlighter times are sorted in ascending order of time prior to a simulation.
  • Running in batch: SPECT3D now quits if the workspace cannot be read.
  • VISUALIZER: A bug that occurred during drilldown for an LTE simulation has been fixed.
  • A bug that occurred when finding the rate coefficients for a plasma zone that contains only non-DCA materials has been fixed.
  • For the calculation of spectra, the shift of bound-free edges due to continuum lowering is now correctly computed on a per-zone basis.

Version 7.2.0

• The contribution from each volume element to the intensity seen at the detector can be computed. The data are computed at each Additional Graphics Photon Energy (see Spectral Grid Setup for setting Additional Graphics Photon Energies). To compute the data, check Compute Contribution from each Volume Element to Intensity at Detector.
• New option for the radiation boundary condition: Exodus files written by HELIOS (version 4.5.0 and greater) contain data for the photon energy dependent surface fluxes. The data can be specified as input for the radiation boundary condition.
• VISUALIZER:
  • Spectral bands can be fitted to a Voigt profile or a Gaussian profile. For the Voigt profile, the Voigt parameter, ( square root(ln2) * FWHM(Lorentzian) / FWHM(Gaussian) ), is held to a constant, user specified value while the amplitude, center value and the Gaussian width are varied.
  • Graphics have been added to view the the intensity contribution from each volume element to the intensity seen at the detector.
  • Text shown in the graphs scales with the size of the graph window.
• Bug fixes:
  • Line fits shown in the spatially resolved spectra change to reflect changes in the resolution parameters.

Version 7.0.0

• Upgrades were made to substantially reduce memory requirements for problems involving complex atomic models (i.e., with many atomic levels and transitions). The effect on CPU time is minimal. Atomic model files version 6.1.0 are needed to take advantage of the changes.
• A new model has been implemented for the free-free Gaunt factors. For a non-degenerate plasma, the method is based on Hummer's two-dimensional Chebyshev expansion of the non-relativistic hydrogenic Gaunt factor. For a degenerate plasma, Nakagawa's model is used.
• The default value for the number of continuum points used in the photon energy grid when computing photoionization and photoexcitation has been increased from 200 to 1000.
• Simulations using 3D cartesian hydro files are available. The Detector-Target Orientation view and the display of the hydro data are not yet availble for 3D data sets.
• VISUALIZER:
  • Resolution parameters are now set globally and the same settings are applied to all relevant plots. The parameters can be edited from all the windows where they are used.
  • For spatially resolved output, line plots of the spectrum at selected detector positions can be shown.
  • Spectral bands and ratios of bands can be defined. The variation of the band intensity or width with time or position on the detector can be plotted.
• Bug fixes:
  • Fixed a crash that occurred when the hydro data or the detetector-target orientation was viewed after running a simulation.
  • The two temperature radiation boundary conditions now correctly use the spectral temperature to determine the spectral shape, and the radiation temperature to determine the flux.

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