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Particle-in-Cell Simulation of Plasmas— A Tutorial

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Space Plasma Simulation

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Physics ((LNP,volume 615))

Abstract

This chapter serves as a tutorial introduction to the field of particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation of plasmas. The full particle version of these models, in which both the electrons and ions are treated as particles, makes no approximations to the basic laws of mechanics and electricity and magnetism, and thus the full range of collisionless plasma physics is included in such a model. The basic techniques involved in a PIC model are illustrated: accumulation of the charge and current densities on a spatial grid, time integration of the field and particle equations, and limitations imposed by the underlying kinetic physics of a plasma. Various approximations to the full set of Maxwell’s equations are described as well as the case of hybrid models (particle ions, fluid electrons) in which fluid equations are used to model the slow time evolution of high frequency phenomena, thus allowing a study of lower frequency kinetic phenomena on longer temporal and larger spatial scales. Examples of PIC simulations of magnetic reconnection are discussed.

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  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, 90095-1547, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Philip L. Pritchett

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Plack-Institut für Aeronomie, Max-Planck Str.2, 37191, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

    Jörg Büchner

  2. Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741, Garching, Germany

    Manfred Scholer  & Christian T. Dum  & 

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Pritchett, P.L. (2003). Particle-in-Cell Simulation of Plasmas— A Tutorial. In: Büchner, J., Scholer, M., Dum, C.T. (eds) Space Plasma Simulation. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 615. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36530-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36530-3_1

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