The advance from 2D electrostatic to 3D electromagnetic particle simulation

✍ Scribed by O. Buneman

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1976
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 1008 KB
• Volume: 12
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0010-4655
• DOI: 10.1016/0010-4655(76)90007-2

✦ Synopsis

The evolution of a 3D, E-M code from earlier less ambitious codes (and their critical analyses) is presented. The code simulates the interaction of some 106 superparticles with over io"superphotons" (field modes in k-space). Particle shaping is done in k-space, isotropically. Interpolation of the fields and their excitation is done with optimally fitted quadratic splines, using a 64~grid. The field modes are updated with no dispersion error, the particles by a time-centered (optionally relativistic) algorithm. Data management conflicts, arising from the global nature of the field information versus the localization of particle processing, are resolved by means of the partial random accessibility of external storage. Results of trial runs with a uniform magnetised plasma show the simultaneous presence of such widely differing phenomena as Alfv~n waves, Whistlers, Landau damping, trapping by electrostatic waves, etc., in the computer model.