JCMsuite allows a mutual coupling between its optical, heat conduction and continuum mechanics solvers.

Two typical examples:

a) The ohmic losses of the electromagnetic field cause a heating, the heating distributes over the object and changes via the thermo-optical coefficients the refractive index of the structure. This leads to a detuning, e.g. of a resonant cavity, which again changes the optical field.

b) The heating may also induce a mechanical stress via thermal expansion. This changes the birefringence of the optical element according to the photoelastic effect, hence may influence the optical behavior.