VectorField

Stability: Experimental

What it is

Use VectorField for physics-aware field data with explicit domains, units, and FFT-aware axis handling.

Representative Signatures

VectorField(components, basis="cartesian", validate=True)
VectorField.norm()

Minimal Example

from gwexpy.fields import VectorField
import numpy as np

vec = VectorField(np.random.randn(3, 16, 4, 4, 4), axis0_domain="time")
amplitude = vec.norm()

API Reference

The detailed generated API continues below on this page.

VectorField is a vector-valued field represented as a collection of ScalarField components.

Overview

VectorField extends FieldDict to provide specialized operations for vector fields in physics, such as electromagnetic fields, velocity fields, or displacement fields.

Key Features

Geometric Operations: dot(), cross(), project(), norm()
Batch Processing: fft_time_all(), filter_all(), resample_all(), etc.
Arithmetic: Scalar multiplication, addition, and subtraction
Visualization: plot() (Magnitude+Quiver), quiver() (arrow plot), streamline() (streamline plot)
Export: to_array() for NumPy interoperability

Basic Usage

from gwexpy.fields import ScalarField, VectorField
import numpy as np
from astropy import units as u

# Create component fields
fx = ScalarField(np.random.randn(100, 4, 4, 4), unit=u.V)
fy = ScalarField(np.random.randn(100, 4, 4, 4), unit=u.V)
fz = ScalarField(np.random.randn(100, 4, 4, 4), unit=u.V)

# Create VectorField
vf = VectorField({'x': fx, 'y': fy, 'z': fz})

# Compute magnitude
magnitude = vf.norm()  # Returns ScalarField

# Dot product
dot_result = vf.dot(vf)  # Returns ScalarField with unit V²

# Cross product (3-component vectors only)
v1 = VectorField({'x': fx, 'y': fy, 'z': fz})
v2 = VectorField({'x': fy, 'y': fz, 'z': fx})
cross_result = v1.cross(v2)  # Returns VectorField

Batch Operations

All ScalarField operations can be applied to all components at once:

# FFT all components
vf_freq = vf.fft_time_all()

# Filter all components
from gwpy.signal import filter_design
lp = filter_design.lowpass(100, 1000)
vf_filtered = vf.filter_all(lp)

# Resample all components
vf_resampled = vf.resample_all(50)  # 50 Hz