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ms-10: When do independent cells mispredict a supercell?

Each local coefficient comes from a ridge surrounded by identical copies of itself. We then place six different ridges next to one another and solve the full periodic supercell. Their pitch, height, indices, illumination and two phase planes are identical between models. The discrepancy includes changed neighbors and the staircase approximation to the exit field; it is not a uniquely isolated coupling constant. See the lab.

Uniform embedding complex error: 5.689763699370293e-13
contrast 0.0 local/full T+1 7.338369388018298e-33 1.6499315079568533e-30 local R+T 1.0
contrast 0.25 local/full T+1 0.06163240531603241 0.0820703402831775 local R+T 0.9660180539068518
contrast 0.5 local/full T+1 0.2924996988766575 0.3447767348386402 local R+T 0.9037764523675431
contrast 0.75 local/full T+1 0.6237473148294989 0.6885164988095138 local R+T 0.8745858937225337
contrast 1.0 local/full T+1 0.8027335697727512 0.8553551432167072 local R+T 0.882249204847863

At contrast α=0, every width equals the mean: this is an exact identical-neighbor control. At α=1, the original Chapter 5 geometry is recovered. Do not force the approximate local R+T to one. A lossless full-wave solve conserves flux, while the stitched field does not enforce boundary continuity. Neither small flux error nor the uniform control alone validates a nonuniform design.

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Submit: compare every open reflected/transmitted order, convergence changes, actual ridge outlines and both phase planes. Explain why α is width contrast, not an independently controlled physical coupling strength. Extension: vary pitch or neighbor ordering while keeping other physical inputs fixed, then rerun convergence. FEM/FDTD and finite arrays are separate unexecuted extensions.