Kinetic properties of particle-in-cell simulations compromised by Monte Carlo collisions
Turner, Miles M.ORCID: 0000-0001-9713-6198
(2006)
Kinetic properties of particle-in-cell simulations compromised by Monte Carlo collisions.
Physics of Plasmas, 13
(3).
ISSN 1070-664X
he particle-in-cell method with Monte Carlo collisions is frequently used when a detailed kinetic simulation of a weakly collisional plasma is required. In such cases, one usually desires, inter alia, an accurate calculation of the particle distribution functions in velocity space. However, velocity space diffusion affects most, perhaps all, kinetic simulations to some degree, leading to numerical thermalization (i.e., relaxation of the velocity distribution toward a Maxwellian), and consequently distortion of the true velocity distribution functions, among other undesirable effects. The rate of such thermalization can be considered a figure of merit for kinetic simulations. This article shows that, contrary to previous assumption, the addition of Monte Carlo collisions to a one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation seriously degrades certain properties of the simulation. In particular, the thermalization time can be reduced by as much as three orders of magnitude. This effect makes obtaining strictly converged simulation results difficult in many cases of practical interest.
Item Type:
Article (Published)
Refereed:
Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:
plasma kinetic theory; plasma simulation; Monte Carlo methods; plasma collision processes; plasma transport processes;