
(This file only lists major user-visible changes; details are in
ChangeLog)

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What is new in wgms3d-1.2.1 (17-Aug-2013):

* Updated installation instructions and build script for the ARPACK-NG
  library distribution. It is no longer recommended to use my old
  self-packaged and slightly modified version of ARPACK. This
  simplifies installation and makes wgms3d work on platforms where it
  didn't work before (thanks to Thach Nguyen for the reports).

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What is new in wgms3d-1.2 (9-Jul-2012):

* In the semi-vectorial calculation mode, derived fields (transverse E
  field + longitudinal E and H fields) can now be exported. Also,
  added a new test script 'tests/semivectorial/', which compares the
  full-vectorial (exact) and semi-vectorial (approximate) modes in a
  waveguide at different wavelengths. As expected, the error of the SV
  approximation becomes smaller towards shorter wavelengths.

* Added a new test script 'tests/complex_modes/'. It checks whether
  complex modes are calculated correctly by reproducing the
  effective-index data from Fig. 4b of Strube's 1985 MTT article.

* Extended the script 'matlab/wgms3d_mgp_rib_waveguide.m'. It can now
  generate strip waveguides or "photonic wires", too. Just set the
  etch depth D to the same value as the central rib height H. See
  documentation inside that script.

* Fixed the script 'matlab/wgms3d_plot_refractive_index.m'. It now
  correctly loads 'epsis.bin' instead of 'epsis.txt'.

* Fixed handling of comment lines in MGP files (those starting with a
  '#' sign).

* The source code has been cleaned up and reorganized. Global
  variables have been removed completely. Everything is now
  encapsulated in C++ classes.

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What is new in wgms3d-1.1.0 (22-Jun-2011):

* Added support for lossy materials. Inside the geometry (.mgp) file,
  you may now either specify the refractive index as a single real
  number (as before), or as a pair of the form "(nr,ni)", where nr and
  ni are the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index. For an
  example, see the new tests/lossy_materials/ test script.

* Added new Matlab script, matlab/wgms3d_mgp_rib_waveguide.m, for
  generating rib waveguide structures.

* Added new Matlab script, matlab/wgms3d_calc_group_index.m, that
  calculates the group index of a mode from its field distribution
  (only for non-dispersive materials).

* No longer exporting 'epsis.txt' with the -e switch, but 'epsis.bin'
  instead.

* Added missing script matlab/wgms3d_tracemodes_update_parameter.m.

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What is new in wgms3d-1.0.2 (31-May-2011):

* Added scalar (weakly-guiding) computation mode (command-line switch
  "-p"), corresponding new Matlab function "wgms3d_plot_scalar", and
  test case in tests/fiber_convergence/lpmodes.m

* Added new Matlab function "wgms3d_tracemodes" to facilitate
  parameter-continuation studies. For usage, see examples in
  tests/2005_JSTQE_Prkna/ and tests/2009_PTL_Nguyen/.

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What is new in wgms3d-1.0.1 (16-Feb-2011):

* Added a missing file; now matlab/wgms3d_import_output.m actually
  works.

* Added two new test cases:

  - tests/fiber_convergence: tests for convergence of the effective
    indices of a straight circular step-index fiber (produces the
    results of Fig. 3 from the JLT paper describing this mode solver).

  - tests/2009_PTL_Nguyen: reproduces results from a 2009 paper by
    Nguyen et al. in Photonics Technology Letters, where the leakage
    losses of the fundamental quasi-TM mode of a straight rib
    waveguide are analyzed.

* For consistency with the rest of the code, the exported
  discretization grids are now called 'r.txt' and 'z.txt' for the rho-
  and z-axis grids, respectively. Similarly, the Matlab structure
  generated by wgms3d_load_mode_field.m has fields 'r' and 'z' instead
  of 'x' and 'y' now. Update your scripts.

* Further cleaned up source code.

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What is new in wgms3d-1.0.0 (08-Feb-2011):

* Completely new code for handling Bézier-type dielectric
  interfaces. This makes the computation of structures with tightly
  curved Bézier interfaces much more robust. It also removes the
  excessive geometry warnings that were output by previous versions of
  wgms3d.

* Source code cleaned up.

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What is new in wgms3d-0.8.9 (27-Jan-2011):

* Simplified installation: wgms3d no longer depends on lib2geom.

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What is new in wgms3d-0.8.8 (13-Jan-2011):

* Initial public release.

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