Object-Oriented PIC Code With Upgraded Physics and Platform-Independent GUI

Abstract

We have developed a new graphical user interface (GUI) for the particle-in-cell (PIC) code OOPIC, providing a powerful new cross-platform simulation tool for designers of high-power microwave (HPM) devices. Algorithms for modeling the following physical effects have been developed and implemented within the new version of OOPIC: the electron self-force; secondary emission of electrons from metal surfaces; Improved particle loading and injection; improved charge and current deposition for curvilinear grid coordinates; and digital filtering for noise reduction in cylindrical coordinates. The accuracy of the basic PIC algorithm has been analyzed for electrostatic and electromagnetic field solves, showing that the combined errors for each time step are second-order in both time and space, when taking the limit of many macro-particles. Previous work on fluctuation reduction algorithms for direct-simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) codes has been applied for the first time to a 1-D electrostatic PIC code, showing that this technique holds promise for significant noise reduction in PIC simulations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 19, 2001
Accession Number
ADA398273

Entities

People

  • David L. Bruhwiler

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Algorithms
  • Charged Particles
  • Computational Science
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Electron Emission
  • Electrons
  • Emission
  • Graphical User Interface
  • High Power Microwaves
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Noise Reduction
  • Operating Systems
  • Radiation
  • Secondary Emission
  • Three Dimensional
  • Two Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Adaptive Control and Estimation with Uncertainty in Dynamic Systems.
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Microelectronics
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster