New Software Tool (GO+UTD) for Visualization of Wave Propagation [Testing Ourselves]

A MATLAB-based tool, GO+UTD, is presented with a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) for the simulation of electromagnetic wave propagation and diffraction effects over variable terrain by using the geometrical optics (GO) and the uniform theory of diffraction (UTD) techniques. The theoretical background, structure, capabilities, and limitations of the tool are discussed in detail in this article. The validation of GO+UTD is performed via numerical comparisons with the parabolic equation toolbox (PETOOL). GO+UTD is a freely available tool that can be used for research and educational purposes to investigate wave phenomena with special emphasis on diffraction effects. It can be downloaded.