Wellenlauf
Wellenlauf is a German term that refers to the propagation of waves in a medium or through space. In physics, the concept describes the movement of perturbations that carry energy, momentum, and information without transporting matter in bulk. A wave is characterized by its frequency, wavelength, amplitude, and velocity. The velocity may be described as phase velocity, which concerns the motion of a constant phase point, and group velocity, which represents the speed of the overall wave packet and energy transport. Wellenlauf is affected by the medium’s properties, such as elasticity, density, temperature, and refractive index, and may exhibit dispersion, where velocity depends on frequency. Boundary conditions at interfaces lead to reflection, transmission, refraction, and diffraction, all part of the broader concept of Wellenlauf.
In practical contexts, Wellenlauf is central to optics, acoustics, and electromagnetism. In optical fibers and waveguides,
Historically, German-language science literature often uses Wellenlauf to describe wave-like propagation phenomena in various media. The