New Open-Source Program FOS Enhances Optical Spectrum Calculations for Nanoparticles

A new open-source program called FOS has been developed for Fast Optical Spectrum calculations of nanoparticle media. This program, created by Daniel Carne and his colleagues, integrates various computational methods to provide a comprehensive tool for analyzing the spectral response of nanoparticulate systems.

FOS takes material properties and system descriptions as input, producing outputs that include reflectance, absorptance, and transmittance. Previous open-source codes often focused on singular aspects, such as Mie theory or Monte Carlo methods, but FOS aims to streamline the process by offering a fully integrated solution.

Key features of FOS include:

• Compiled Python code for accelerated performance.
• Parallel processing capabilities.
• Pre-trained machine learning predictions to enhance efficiency.

The program is designed to facilitate the optimization and high-throughput design of optical properties in various applications, including radiative cooling paints and solar heating liquids. It also supports modeling for lunar dust coatings and combustion particulates, which could lead to advancements in material discovery and design.

The authors provide a detailed discussion of the methodology, features, and four case studies demonstrating the program's capabilities. This development could significantly impact research and industrial applications in optics and materials science.

For further details, the paper can be accessed at arXiv:2409.00165.