1,186 research outputs found
PolyPIC: the Polymorphic-Particle-in-Cell Method for Fluid-Kinetic Coupling
Particle-in-Cell (PIC) methods are widely used computational tools for fluid
and kinetic plasma modeling. While both the fluid and kinetic PIC approaches
have been successfully used to target either kinetic or fluid simulations,
little was done to combine fluid and kinetic particles under the same PIC
framework. This work addresses this issue by proposing a new PIC method,
PolyPIC, that uses polymorphic computational particles. In this numerical
scheme, particles can be either kinetic or fluid, and fluid particles can
become kinetic when necessary, e.g. particles undergoing a strong acceleration.
We design and implement the PolyPIC method, and test it against the Landau
damping of Langmuir and ion acoustic waves, two stream instability and sheath
formation. We unify the fluid and kinetic PIC methods under one common
framework comprising both fluid and kinetic particles, providing a tool for
adaptive fluid-kinetic coupling in plasma simulations.Comment: Submitted to Frontier
Physics-based adaptivity of a spectral method for the Vlasov-Poisson equations based on the asymmetrically-weighted Hermite expansion in velocity space
We propose a spectral method for the 1D-1V Vlasov-Poisson system where the
discretization in velocity space is based on asymmetrically-weighted Hermite
functions, dynamically adapted via a scaling and shifting of the
velocity variable. Specifically, at each time instant an adaptivity criterion
selects new values of and based on the numerical solution of the
discrete Vlasov-Poisson system obtained at that time step. Once the new values
of the Hermite parameters and are fixed, the Hermite expansion is
updated and the discrete system is further evolved for the next time step. The
procedure is applied iteratively over the desired temporal interval. The key
aspects of the adaptive algorithm are: the map between approximation spaces
associated with different values of the Hermite parameters that preserves total
mass, momentum and energy; and the adaptivity criterion to update and
based on physics considerations relating the Hermite parameters to the
average velocity and temperature of each plasma species. For the discretization
of the spatial coordinate, we rely on Fourier functions and use the implicit
midpoint rule for time stepping. The resulting numerical method possesses
intrinsically the property of fluid-kinetic coupling, where the low-order terms
of the expansion are akin to the fluid moments of a macroscopic description of
the plasma, while kinetic physics is retained by adding more spectral terms.
Moreover, the scheme features conservation of total mass, momentum and energy
associated in the discrete, for periodic boundary conditions. A set of
numerical experiments confirms that the adaptive method outperforms the
non-adaptive one in terms of accuracy and stability of the numerical solution
Supernova Simulations with Boltzmann Neutrino Transport: A Comparison of Methods
Accurate neutrino transport has been built into spherically symmetric
simulations of stellar core collapse and postbounce evolution. The results of
such simulations agree that spherically symmetric models with standard
microphysical input fail to explode by the delayed, neutrino-driven mechanism.
Independent groups implemented fundamentally different numerical methods to
tackle the Boltzmann neutrino transport equation. Here we present a direct and
detailed comparison of such neutrino radiation-hydrodynamical simulations for
two codes, Agile-Boltztran of the Oak Ridge-Basel group and Vertex of the
Garching group. The former solves the Boltzmann equation directly by an
implicit, general relativistic discrete angle method on the adaptive grid of a
conservative implicit hydrodynamics code with second-order TVD advection. In
contrast, the latter couples a variable Eddington factor technique with an
explicit, moving-grid, conservative high-order Riemann solver with important
relativistic effects treated by an effective gravitational potential. The
presented study is meant to test both neutrino radiation-hydrodynamics
implementations and to provide a data basis for comparisons and verifications
of supernova codes to be developed in the future. Results are discussed for
simulations of the core collapse and post-bounce evolution of a 13 solar mass
star with Newtonian gravity and a 15 solar mass star with relativistic gravity.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures, revised version, to appear in Ap
On the Importance of Spatial and Velocity Resolution in the Hybrid-Vlasov Modeling of Collisionless Shocks
In hybrid-Vlasov plasma modeling, the ion velocity distribution function is propagated using the Vlasov equation while electrons are considered a charge-neutralizing fluid. It is an alternative to particle-in-cell methods, one advantage being the absence of sampling noise in the moments of the distribution. However, the discretization requirements in up to six dimensions (3D position, 3V velocity) make the computational cost of hybrid-Vlasov models higher. This is why hybrid-Vlasov modeling has only recently become more popular and available to model large-scale systems. The hybrid-Vlasov model Vlasiator is the first to have been successfully applied to model the solar-terrestrial interaction. It includes in particular the bow shock and magnetosheath regions, albeit in 2D-3V configurations so far. The purpose of this study is to investigate how Vlasiator parameters affect the modeling of a plasma shock in a 1D-3V simulation. The setup is similar to the Earth's bow shock in previous simulations, so that the present results can be related to existing and future magnetospheric simulations. The parameters investigated are the spatial and velocity resolution, as well as the phase space density threshold, which is the key parameter of the so-called sparse velocity space. The role of the Hall term in Ohm's law is also studied. The evaluation metrics used are the convergence of the final state, the complexity of spatial profiles and ion distributions as well as the position of the shock front. In agreement with previous Vlasiator studies it is not necessary to resolve the ion inertial length and gyroradius in order to obtain kinetic phenomena. While the code remains numerically stable with all combinations of resolutions, it is shown that significantly increasing the resolution in one space but not the other leads to unphysical results. Past a certain level, decreasing the phase space density threshold bears a large computational weight without clear physical improvement in the setup used here. Finally, the inclusion of the Hall term shows only minor effects in this study, mostly because of the 1D configuration and the scales studied, at which the Hall term is not expected to play a major role.In hybrid-Vlasov plasma modeling, the ion velocity distribution function is propagated using the Vlasov equation while electrons are considered a charge-neutralizing fluid. It is an alternative to particle-in-cell methods, one advantage being the absence of sampling noise in the moments of the distribution. However, the discretization requirements in up to six dimensions (3D position, 3V velocity) make the computational cost of hybrid-Vlasov models higher. This is why hybrid-Vlasov modeling has only recently become more popular and available to model large-scale systems. The hybrid-Vlasov model Vlasiator is the first to have been successfully applied to model the solar-terrestrial interaction. It includes in particular the bow shock and magnetosheath regions, albeit in 2D-3V configurations so far. The purpose of this study is to investigate how Vlasiator parameters affect the modeling of a plasma shock in a 1D-3V simulation. The setup is similar to the Earth's bow shock in previous simulations, so that the present results can be related to existing and future magnetospheric simulations. The parameters investigated are the spatial and velocity resolution, as well as the phase space density threshold, which is the key parameter of the so-called sparse velocity space. The role of the Hall term in Ohm's law is also studied. The evaluation metrics used are the convergence of the final state, the complexity of spatial profiles and ion distributions as well as the position of the shock front. In agreement with previous Vlasiator studies it is not necessary to resolve the ion inertial length and gyroradius in order to obtain kinetic phenomena. While the code remains numerically stable with all combinations of resolutions, it is shown that significantly increasing the resolution in one space but not the other leads to unphysical results. Past a certain level, decreasing the phase space density threshold bears a large computational weight without clear physical improvement in the setup used here. Finally, the inclusion of the Hall term shows only minor effects in this study, mostly because of the 1D configuration and the scales studied, at which the Hall term is not expected to play a major role.In hybrid-Vlasov plasma modeling, the ion velocity distribution function is propagated using the Vlasov equation while electrons are considered a charge-neutralizing fluid. It is an alternative to particle-in-cell methods, one advantage being the absence of sampling noise in the moments of the distribution. However, the discretization requirements in up to six dimensions (3D position, 3V velocity) make the computational cost of hybrid-Vlasov models higher. This is why hybrid-Vlasov modeling has only recently become more popular and available to model large-scale systems. The hybrid-Vlasov model Vlasiator is the first to have been successfully applied to model the solar-terrestrial interaction. It includes in particular the bow shock and magnetosheath regions, albeit in 2D-3V configurations so far. The purpose of this study is to investigate how Vlasiator parameters affect the modeling of a plasma shock in a 1D-3V simulation. The setup is similar to the Earth's bow shock in previous simulations, so that the present results can be related to existing and future magnetospheric simulations. The parameters investigated are the spatial and velocity resolution, as well as the phase space density threshold, which is the key parameter of the so-called sparse velocity space. The role of the Hall term in Ohm's law is also studied. The evaluation metrics used are the convergence of the final state, the complexity of spatial profiles and ion distributions as well as the position of the shock front. In agreement with previous Vlasiator studies it is not necessary to resolve the ion inertial length and gyroradius in order to obtain kinetic phenomena. While the code remains numerically stable with all combinations of resolutions, it is shown that significantly increasing the resolution in one space but not the other leads to unphysical results. Past a certain level, decreasing the phase space density threshold bears a large computational weight without clear physical improvement in the setup used here. Finally, the inclusion of the Hall term shows only minor effects in this study, mostly because of the 1D configuration and the scales studied, at which the Hall term is not expected to play a major role.Peer reviewe
The physics of streamer discharge phenomena
In this review we describe a transient type of gas discharge which is
commonly called a streamer discharge, as well as a few related phenomena in
pulsed discharges. Streamers are propagating ionization fronts with
self-organized field enhancement at their tips that can appear in gases at (or
close to) atmospheric pressure. They are the precursors of other discharges
like sparks and lightning, but they also occur in for example corona reactors
or plasma jets which are used for a variety of plasma chemical purposes. When
enough space is available, streamers can also form at much lower pressures,
like in the case of sprite discharges high up in the atmosphere.
We explain the structure and basic underlying physics of streamer discharges,
and how they scale with gas density. We discuss the chemistry and applications
of streamers, and describe their two main stages in detail: inception and
propagation. We also look at some other topics, like interaction with flow and
heat, related pulsed discharges, and electron runaway and high energy
radiation. Finally, we discuss streamer simulations and diagnostics in quite
some detail.
This review is written with two purposes in mind: First, we describe recent
results on the physics of streamer discharges, with a focus on the work
performed in our groups. We also describe recent developments in diagnostics
and simulations of streamers. Second, we provide background information on the
above-mentioned aspects of streamers. This review can therefore be used as a
tutorial by researchers starting to work in the field of streamer physics.Comment: 89 pages, 29 figure
Mini-Workshop: Numerics for Kinetic Equations
[no abstract available
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