Finite grid instability and spectral fidelity of the electrostatic Particle-In-Cell algorithm

Huang, C. -K.; Zeng, Y.; Wang, Y.; Meyers, M. D.; Yi, S.; Albright, B. J.

doi:10.1016/j.cpc.2016.05.021

Title: Finite grid instability and spectral fidelity of the electrostatic Particle-In-Cell algorithm

Abstract

The origin of the Finite Grid Instability (FGI) is studied by resolving the dynamics in the 1D electrostatic Particle-In-Cell (PIC) model in the spectral domain at the single particle level and at the collective motion level. The spectral fidelity of the PIC model is contrasted with the underlying physical system or the gridless model. The systematic spectral phase and amplitude errors from the charge deposition and field interpolation are quantified for common particle shapes used in the PIC models. Lastly, it is shown through such analysis and in simulations that the lack of spectral fidelity relative to the physical system due to the existence of aliased spatial modes is the major cause of the FGI in the PIC model.

Authors:

^[1]; Zeng, Y. ^[1]; Wang, Y. ^[1]; Meyers, M. D. ^[2]; Yi, S. ^[1]; Albright, B. J. ^[1]

Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

Publication Date:: Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016

Research Org.:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1258644

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1396461

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-15-26028
Journal ID: ISSN 0010-4655

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396

Resource Type:: Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Computer Physics Communications

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Name: Computer Physics Communications; Journal ID: ISSN 0010-4655

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING; 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; Mathematics

Citation Formats


                    Huang, C. -K., Zeng, Y., Wang, Y., Meyers, M. D., Yi, S., and Albright, B. J. Finite grid instability and spectral fidelity of the electrostatic Particle-In-Cell algorithm.  United States: N. p., 2016. 
        Web.  doi:10.1016/j.cpc.2016.05.021.

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                    Huang, C. -K., Zeng, Y., Wang, Y., Meyers, M. D., Yi, S., & Albright, B. J. Finite grid instability and spectral fidelity of the electrostatic Particle-In-Cell algorithm.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2016.05.021

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                    Huang, C. -K., Zeng, Y., Wang, Y., Meyers, M. D., Yi, S., and Albright, B. J. 2016.  
        "Finite grid instability and spectral fidelity of the electrostatic Particle-In-Cell algorithm".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2016.05.021.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1258644.

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@article{osti_1258644,

  title        = {Finite grid instability and spectral fidelity of the electrostatic Particle-In-Cell algorithm},

  author       = {Huang, C. -K. and Zeng, Y. and Wang, Y. and Meyers, M. D. and Yi, S. and Albright, B. J.},

  abstractNote = {The origin of the Finite Grid Instability (FGI) is studied by resolving the dynamics in the 1D electrostatic Particle-In-Cell (PIC) model in the spectral domain at the single particle level and at the collective motion level. The spectral fidelity of the PIC model is contrasted with the underlying physical system or the gridless model. The systematic spectral phase and amplitude errors from the charge deposition and field interpolation are quantified for common particle shapes used in the PIC models. Lastly, it is shown through such analysis and in simulations that the lack of spectral fidelity relative to the physical system due to the existence of aliased spatial modes is the major cause of the FGI in the PIC model.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.cpc.2016.05.021},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1258644},
  journal      = {Computer Physics Communications},

  issn         = {0010-4655},

  number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016},

  month        = {Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

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Title: Finite grid instability and spectral fidelity of the electrostatic Particle-In-Cell algorithm

Abstract

Citation Formats

Nonphysical noises and instabilities in plasma simulation due to a spatial grid journal, December 1972

Plasma self-heating and saturation due to numerical instabilities journal, June 1980

A comparison of some particle-in-cell plasma simulation methods journal, August 1972

Effects of the spatial grid in simulation plasmas journal, October 1970

Nonphysical noises and instabilities in plasma simulation due to a spatial grid journal, December 1972

Numerical Cherenkov instabilities in electromagnetic particle codes journal, August 1974

Numerical stability of relativistic beam multidimensional PIC simulations employing the Esirkepov algorithm journal, September 2013

Numerical instability due to relativistic plasma drift in EM-PIC simulations journal, November 2013

Dispersion relation for computer-simulated plasmas journal, February 1970

On the numerical dispersion of electromagnetic particle-in-cell code: Finite grid instability journal, September 2015

Plasma self-heating and saturation due to numerical instabilities journal, June 1980

Reduction of the grid effects in simulation plasmas journal, February 1974

A Method to Suppress the Finite-Grid Instability in Plasma Simulations journal, September 1994

A comparison of some particle-in-cell plasma simulation methods journal, August 1972

Energy-conserving numerical approximations for Vlasov plasmas journal, August 1970

An energy- and charge-conserving, implicit, electrostatic particle-in-cell algorithm journal, August 2011

The energy conserving particle-in-cell method journal, August 2011

Development of a Consistent and Stable Fully Implicit Moment Method for Vlasov--Ampère Particle in Cell (PIC) System journal, January 2013

A variational multi-symplectic particle-in-cell algorithm with smoothing functions for the Vlasov-Maxwell system journal, October 2013

Explicit high-order non-canonical symplectic particle-in-cell algorithms for Vlasov-Maxwell systems journal, November 2015

Gridless finite-size-particle plasma simulation journal, February 2001

Variational formulation of particle algorithms for kinetic plasma simulations journal, July 2013

Kinetic approach to microscopic-macroscopic coupling in space and laboratory plasmas journal, May 2006

Nonphysical noises and instabilities in plasma simulation due to a spatial grid
journal, December 1972

Plasma self-heating and saturation due to numerical instabilities
journal, June 1980

A comparison of some particle-in-cell plasma simulation methods
journal, August 1972

Effects of the spatial grid in simulation plasmas
journal, October 1970

Nonphysical noises and instabilities in plasma simulation due to a spatial grid
journal, December 1972

Numerical Cherenkov instabilities in electromagnetic particle codes
journal, August 1974

Numerical stability of relativistic beam multidimensional PIC simulations employing the Esirkepov algorithm
journal, September 2013

Numerical instability due to relativistic plasma drift in EM-PIC simulations
journal, November 2013

Dispersion relation for computer-simulated plasmas
journal, February 1970

On the numerical dispersion of electromagnetic particle-in-cell code: Finite grid instability
journal, September 2015

Plasma self-heating and saturation due to numerical instabilities
journal, June 1980

Reduction of the grid effects in simulation plasmas
journal, February 1974

A Method to Suppress the Finite-Grid Instability in Plasma Simulations
journal, September 1994

A comparison of some particle-in-cell plasma simulation methods
journal, August 1972

Energy-conserving numerical approximations for Vlasov plasmas
journal, August 1970

An energy- and charge-conserving, implicit, electrostatic particle-in-cell algorithm
journal, August 2011

The energy conserving particle-in-cell method
journal, August 2011

Development of a Consistent and Stable Fully Implicit Moment Method for Vlasov--Ampère Particle in Cell (PIC) System
journal, January 2013

A variational multi-symplectic particle-in-cell algorithm with smoothing functions for the Vlasov-Maxwell system
journal, October 2013

Explicit high-order non-canonical symplectic particle-in-cell algorithms for Vlasov-Maxwell systems
journal, November 2015

Gridless finite-size-particle plasma simulation
journal, February 2001

Variational formulation of particle algorithms for kinetic plasma simulations
journal, July 2013

Kinetic approach to microscopic-macroscopic coupling in space and laboratory plasmas
journal, May 2006