B Why Does the Effective Period of a Composite Wave Remain Constant?

B
Thread starter roam
Start date Apr 24, 2019
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Composite Period Wave

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The discussion centers on the phenomenon where the effective period of a composite wave remains constant despite variations in the phases and number of overlapping waves. It is established that if the individual waves have the same period, their linear combination will also exhibit that same period. However, complications arise when considering the ratios of periods; if these ratios are irrational, the resulting composite wave may not be periodic. The conversation also touches on practical implications in numerical simulations and real-world scenarios, emphasizing that while mathematical functions can exhibit irrational ratios, practical measurements may not reflect this due to experimental limitations. Ultimately, the effective period's constancy is expected, as it aligns with the underlying periodic nature of the constituent waves.

May 11, 2019

sophiecentaur

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Paul Colby said:

Sorry, I thought you wanted to generalize the formalism in the paper you linked to on ring resonators for multiple transmission line modes. Ring resonators are passive linear devices which don’t alter the input frequency in any way whatsoever.

A simpler example is single versus multi mode fiber. If fed with a monochromatic source neither modifies the frequency of the light, ever.

That expresses my problem exactly. Afaics, the other modes will just change the phase of the resultant throughput (or possibly, for a broadband input, produce extra peaks or notches.) As an RF man, I am often confused by the way Optical guys look at things. After all, it's exactly the same stuff!