The modeling of diffuse boundaries in the 2-D digital waveguide mesh

The digital waveguide mesh can be used to simulate the propagation of sound waves in an acoustic system. The accurate simulation of the acoustic characteristics of boundaries within such a system is an important part of the model. One significant property of an acoustic boundary is its diffusivity. Previous approaches to simulating diffuse boundaries in a digital waveguide mesh are effective but exhibit limitations and have not been analyzed in detail. An improved technique is presented here that simulates diffusion at boundaries and offers a high degree of control and consistency. This technique works by rotating wavefronts as they pass through a special diffusing layer adjacent to the boundary. The waves are rotated randomly according to a chosen probability function and the model is lossless. This diffusion model is analyzed in detail, and its diffusivity is quantified in the form of frequency dependent diffusion coefficients. The approach used to measuring boundary diffusion is described here in detail for the 2-D digital waveguide mesh and can readily be extended for the 3-D case.