A Coulomb collision model for weighted particle simulations with energy and momentum conservation. Issue 6 (12th March 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tanaka, A.; Ibano, K.; Takizuka, T.; Ueda, Y.
• Other Names: Marandet Y. guestEditor.; Ciraolo G. guestEditor.; Rosato J. guestEditor.; Serre E. guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Contributions to plasma physics. Volume 58:Issue 6/7/8(2018)
• Page Start: 451
• Page End: 456
• Publication Date: 2018-03-12
• Subjects: Coulomb collision model -- particle‐in‐cell model -- weighted particle; Plasma (Ionized gases) -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 530.44
• DOI: 10.1002/ctpp.201700121
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0863-1042

Abstract

Abstract : In PIC (particle‐in‐cell) simulations, the Takizuka–Abe (TA) model is widely used as a basic Coulomb collision model. For the weighted particle simulations, some collision models, such as the "rejection model" and the "merging model, " have been developed by expanding the TA model. These models do not conserve the total momentum or total energy, but can nearly conserve them, on average. We here develop a new model by expanding the TA model, which conserves both the total energy and total momentum in each time step. In the test simulations, the new model accomplishes the exact conservation of both energy and momentum. We examine the temperature relaxation and the velocity distribution function (VDF) for the model validation. In the merging model, temperature relaxation is inappropriate and the VDFs deviate from Maxwell distribution. In the new model, the temperature relaxation is correctly achieved and the VDFs are maintained Maxwellian.