Wellenfeld

Wellenfeld, or wave field, refers to the distribution of wave phenomena—amplitude, phase, and frequency—across space and time. In classical physics, a wave field is a solution to the wave equation for a given medium and boundary conditions. It can describe sound pressure in air, the electric and magnetic field in space, or the complex electromagnetic field of light. The wave field is linear in many practical cases, allowing the principle of superposition: the resultant field is the sum of individual wave fields. Solutions can be decomposed into elementary components such as plane waves or spherical waves, and can be analyzed in the time domain or transformed into the frequency domain.

In practice, wave fields are measured with sensor arrays and modeled with numerical methods such as finite-difference time-domain (FDTD), boundary element methods, or ray-based approximations for high-frequency regimes. Boundary conditions, sources, and media properties shape the field and determine phenomena such as interference, diffraction, and focusing.

Applications of wave fields span science and engineering. In acoustics, wave-field concepts underpin methods for sound reproduction and noise control, including wave field synthesis and higher-order ambisonics. In optics and radio physics, wave fields enable imaging, holography, antenna design, and radar. Wellenfeld thus serves as a unifying framework for understanding how disturbances propagate, interact, and can be manipulated in space and time.

See also: wave equation, superposition, wave field synthesis, holography, Fourier analysis.