Abstract. Using the cross-platform game engine Unity, we develop virtual laboratories for PC, consoles, mobile devices and website as an innovative tool to study physics. There is extensive uptake of ICT in the teaching of science and its impact on the learning, and considering the limited availability of laboratories for physics teaching and the difficulties this causes in the learning of school students, we design the virtual laboratories to enhance studentâĂŹs knowledge of concepts in physics. To achieve this goal, we use Unity due to provide support bump mapping, reflection mapping, parallax mapping, dynamics shadows using shadows maps, full-screen postprocessing effects and render-to-texture. Unity can use the best variant for the current video hardware and, if none are compatible, to use an alternative shader that may sacrifice features for performance. The control over delivery to mobile devices, web browsers, consoles and desktops is the main reason Unity is the best option among the same kind cross-platform. Supported platforms include Android, Apple TV, Linux, iOS, Nintendo 3DS line, macOS, PlayStation 4, Windows Phone 8, Wii but also an asset server and Nvidia's PhysX physics engine which is the most relevant tool on Unity for our PhysLab.

The influence of virtual tools as didactic means towards the study of electromagnetism phenomena takes greater relevance every day at the Universidad del Magdalena due to the inclusion of a visual and dynamic element beyond the reading of physical text books and even the development of laboratories real electromagnetism. This article shows a very positive perception on the part of the engineering students regarding the advanced virtual laboratories of electromagnetism, influencing the learning of physical concepts and the development of cognitive competences. Studentś understanding of the concepts of physics in the domain of electromagnetic physics was evaluated in a pre- and post-test design involving 60 participants assigned to four experimental groups and 30 participants assigned to the control group. There were two experimental conditions, namely, experimentation with manipulation of real material, experimentation with virtual manipulation, as well as a condition of control (ie, traditional instruction with no virtual experimentation). Conceptual tests were administered to assess student’s comprehension before, during and after the application of the virtual laboratories. The analyzes revealed that even though the two experimental conditions promote the conceptualization and correct interpretations of the student’s physical concepts in the domain of electromagnetism better than in the control group as expected; we see that, the use of the virtual tool obtains a greater acceptance as this study shows.

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We report a detailed simulation of a bunched electron-beam accelerated in a TE[Formula: see text] cylindrical cavity immersed in a static inhomogeneous magnetic field using a relativistic full electromagnetic particle-in-cell (PIC). This type of acceleration concept is known as Spatial AutoResonance Acceleration (SARA) in which the magnetic field profile is such that it keeps the electron-beam in the acceleration regime along their trajectories. In this work, the numerical experiments are carried out including a bunched electron-beam with the concentrations in the range [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] in a TE[Formula: see text] cylindrical microwave field, at a frequency of 2.45 GHz and an amplitude of 15 kV/cm. The electron energy reaches values up to 250 keV without significant unfocusing effect that can be used as a basis to produce hard X-ray. Additionally, a comparison between the data obtained from the full electromagnetic PIC simulations and the results derived from the relativistic Newton–Lorentz equation in a single particle approximation is carried out.

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