rfx for AI Agents

rfx is a JAX-based differentiable 3D FDTD electromagnetic simulator designed with agent-friendliness as a first-class concern. This guide explains how LLM agents (Claude, GPT, Gemini, etc.) can use rfx to autonomously design and simulate RF structures.

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Why rfx Is Agent-Friendly

Declarative, Named API

Every operation uses named arguments and string identifiers — no grid indices, no NamedTuples, no JAX internals required:

sim = Simulation(freq_max=6e9, domain=(0.06, 0.06, 0.025))
sim.add_material("substrate", eps_r=4.4, sigma=0.025)
sim.add(Box((0.005, 0.005, 0), (0.055, 0.055, 0.0016)), material="substrate")
sim.add_port((0.03, 0.03, 0.0016), "ez", impedance=50)
result = sim.run()

An agent can generate this code directly from a natural-language description of the structure.

Built-in Material Library

rfx ships a MATERIAL_LIBRARY with pre-validated RF materials. An agent only needs to pass the name string — no manual lookup of dielectric constants:

Name	eps_r	sigma (S/m)	Use case
"fr4"	4.4	0.025	PCB substrates
"rogers4003c"	3.55	0.0027	High-freq laminates
"alumina"	9.8	0.0	Ceramic substrates
"silicon"	11.9	0.01	MMIC substrates
"ptfe"	2.1	0.0	Low-loss laminates
"copper"	1.0	5.8e7	Conductors
"pec"	1.0	1e10	Ideal conductors
"vacuum"	1.0	0.0	Free space

Zero Grid Math Required

The auto_configure() function derives all simulation parameters — cell size, domain margins, CPML layers, timestep count — from geometry and frequency range alone. An agent never needs to compute:

• dx = lambda_min / 20 / sqrt(eps_r)
• n_steps = ceil((T_source + T_ringdown) / dt)
• CPML layer counts
• Domain padding distances

Method-Chaining Builder

All add_* methods return self, enabling compact pipelines:

result = (
    Simulation(freq_max=5e9, domain=(0.04, 0.04, 0.02))
    .add_material("sub", eps_r=3.55, sigma=1e-4)
    .add(Box((0, 0, 0), (0.04, 0.04, 0.002)), material="sub")
    .add(Box((0.01, 0.01, 0.002), (0.03, 0.03, 0.002)), material="pec")
    .add_port((0.02, 0.02, 0.002), "ez", impedance=50)
    .run(n_steps=4000)
)

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Capability Matrix

Task	rfx Support	Key API
Patch antenna resonance	Full	add_source(), result.find_resonances()
S-parameter extraction	Full	add_port(), result.s_params
Filter bandwidth optimization	Full	DesignRegion, optimize()
Far-field radiation pattern	Full	add_ntff_box(), compute_far_field()
RCS calculation	Full	compute_rcs()
Waveguide S-matrix	Full	add_waveguide_port()
Convergence study (dx sweep)	Full	auto_configure(accuracy=...)
Cross-validation vs Meep	Full	read_touchstone(), write_touchstone()
Dispersive materials (Debye)	Full	DebyePole, add_material(debye_poles=...)
Thin conductors (subcell)	Full	add_thin_conductor()
Inverse design (gradient)	Full	DesignRegion, JAX grad
Oblique incidence scattering	Partial	add_tfsf_source(angle_deg=...)
Eigenmode expansion	Optional	solve_waveguide_modes() (requires scipy)

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Minimal Example: 5-Line Simulation

This is the canonical pattern an agent should generate for a first simulation of any planar structure:

import rfx
from rfx import Simulation, Box, auto_configure

# 1. Describe geometry
geometry = [
    (Box((0, 0, 0), (0.06, 0.06, 0.0016)), "fr4"),
    (Box((0.01, 0.01, 0.0016), (0.05, 0.05, 0.0016)), "pec"),
]

# 2. Auto-configure all simulation parameters
config = auto_configure(geometry, freq_range=(1e9, 4e9), accuracy="standard")
print(config.summary())  # shows dx, domain, n_steps, warnings

# 3. Build simulation
sim = Simulation(**config.to_sim_kwargs())
for shape, mat in geometry:
    sim.add(shape, material=mat)
sim.add_source((0.03, 0.03, 0.0016), "ez")
sim.add_probe((0.03, 0.03, 0.0016), "ez")

# 4. Run and extract resonances
result = sim.run(n_steps=config.n_steps)
modes = result.find_resonances(freq_range=(1e9, 4e9))
for m in modes:
    print(f"  f = {m.freq/1e9:.3f} GHz, Q = {m.Q:.1f}")

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Integration Patterns

Pattern 1: Function Calling (Structured Output)

Use rfx as a tool backend. The agent receives structured parameters and generates validated Python:

{
  "tool": "rfx_simulate",
  "parameters": {
    "substrate": "fr4",
    "patch_length_mm": 38.0,
    "patch_width_mm": 29.0,
    "substrate_thickness_mm": 1.6,
    "freq_range_ghz": [1.0, 4.0],
    "accuracy": "standard"
  }
}

The tool wrapper translates this directly to auto_configure() + Simulation.

Pattern 2: Code Generation

The agent generates complete Python scripts. rfx’s API is designed to be readable from code output alone — no hidden state, no implicit configuration. A typical generated script:

1. Import rfx and geometry primitives
2. Define geometry as a list of (Box(...), "material_name") tuples
3. Call auto_configure() to get SimConfig
4. Build Simulation(**config.to_sim_kwargs())
5. Register geometry, sources, probes
6. Call result = sim.run(n_steps=config.n_steps)
7. Extract and report results

Pattern 3: Iterative Refinement Loop

Agent: generate initial design
  -> simulate (accuracy="draft")
  -> if resonance found: refine design
  -> simulate (accuracy="standard")
  -> if error > threshold: escalate accuracy="high"
  -> report final result

Use accuracy="draft" (10 cells/lambda) for rapid exploration and accuracy="high" (40 cells/lambda) only for final verification. This reduces compute by 8-64x during search.

Pattern 4: Parallel Variant Sweep

rfx simulations are pure functions. An agent can dispatch multiple simulations in parallel by varying one parameter at a time:

import concurrent.futures

def simulate_patch(length_mm):
    geometry = [(Box(...), "fr4"), ...]  # vary length_mm
    config = auto_configure(geometry, freq_range=(1e9, 4e9))
    sim = Simulation(**config.to_sim_kwargs())
    # ... add geometry, source, probe
    result = sim.run(n_steps=config.n_steps)
    modes = result.find_resonances(freq_range=(1e9, 4e9))
    return length_mm, modes

lengths = [30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40]  # mm
with concurrent.futures.ProcessPoolExecutor() as pool:
    results = list(pool.map(simulate_patch, lengths))

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What Agents Should NOT Do

!!! warning “Common Agent Mistakes”

• Do not set dx manually unless you understand the geometry. Use auto_configure() and let it select dx from wavelength and feature analysis.
• Do not use add_port() for resonance characterization. The 50 ohm load damps high-Q cavities. Use add_source() + result.find_resonances() instead.
• Do not set n_steps arbitrarily. Use config.n_steps from auto_configure() or until_decay=1e-4 for unknown Q structures.
• Do not use "copper" material for thick conductor volumes. Use "pec" for ideal conductors or add_thin_conductor() for thin metal sheets with subcell correction.
• Do not skip config.warnings. Warnings about thin features or high step counts indicate the geometry needs attention before running.

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Quick Reference: Result Fields

result = sim.run(...)

result.time_series        # (n_steps, n_probes) -- raw field recordings
result.s_params           # (n_ports, n_ports, n_freqs) complex -- S-matrix
result.freqs              # (n_freqs,) Hz -- S-param frequency axis
result.state              # final FDTD field state (for visualization)
result.ntff_data          # raw NTFF DFT data (use compute_far_field())
result.snapshots          # dict of field snapshots by component name
result.waveguide_sparams  # dict[port_name, WaveguideSParamResult]

# Resonance extraction (Harminv)
modes = result.find_resonances(freq_range=(f_min, f_max))
modes[0].freq          # resonant frequency (Hz)
modes[0].Q             # quality factor
modes[0].decay_rate    # field decay rate (s^-1)
modes[0].amplitude     # complex amplitude