Electromagnetic PIC simulations using finite elements on unstructured grids. [Particle-in-cell (PIC)]
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
- George Washington Univ., Washington, DC (USA). School of Engineering and Applied Science
There is an increasing demand to use kinetic plasma simulations to model real plasma devices such as e-beam diodes, plasma torches, opening switches, and so on. With this demands comes the realization that standard simulation tools based on rectangular structured meshes are often too inflexible to accommodate real device geometries. To gain geometric flexibility, one typically must abandon structured rectangular meshes. Some have had considerable success by distorting the grid to conform to boundary-fitted curvilinear coordinates (1). This gives substantial flexibility while retaining a logically rectangular data structure. However, to achieve the greatest flexibility, an unstructured mesh is necessary. For the last several years, we have been engaged in designing electromagnetic particle-in- cell (PIC) simulations that can be performed on unstructured grids of triangles. We feel this a powerful strategy for matching kinetic plasma simulations to real problem geometries. Unstructured meshes not only accommodate complicated boundary shapes with ease, but also allow extreme local refinement without affecting resolution elsewhere. The basic challenges to overcome in formulating EM-PIC on these new meshes are: (a) grid generation, (b) particle interpolation and tracking, and (c) field solution. In this paper we briefly describe our techniques and will give a simple example. 4 refs., 2 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 5534741
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JC-107684; CONF-9109108--1; ON: DE91015141
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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700108* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Wave Phenomena
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990200 -- Mathematics & Computers
COMPUTER CALCULATIONS
COORDINATES
ELECTRODES
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD
FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
GRIDS
INTERPOLATION
ITERATIVE METHODS
MATHEMATICS
MESH GENERATION
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PLASMA SIMULATION
SIMULATION