Numerical simulation for motion of one dimensional plasma in an electromagnetic field

Abstract

The purposes of this research are to develop a computer model to simulate the motion of the one dimensional plasma on microcomputer. Plasma is the fourth state of matter. Most of matter in the universe is in the plasma state. Plasma plays the important role in many applications. One of the most challenging is to develop the controlled thermonuclear fusion as an economical energy source. In order to achieve these conditions, an understanding of how the plasma behaves is essential. Because of some technical and economical difficulties, the experimental method may be impossible or difficult. Therefore, the computer simulation technique is an alternative. We restrict the scope on one dimensional plasma. The model is developed with JAVA language with calculating finite difference technique. The study consists of two main parts; the fields produced by particles which are solved by Maxwell's equations and the motion of the particles caused by the forces that resulted from the fields which are computed based on lorentz equation. The motion of a one dimensional plasma is analyzed and simulated under zero potential that is applied at the boundary condition. The characteristic time and characteristic size are estimated to compare with the theoretical value. The results show the discrepancy which might have been due to the lack of accuracy of estimation and the inherent error caused by the technique used for the simulation. Based on these assessments, it is concluded that the model as proposed is capable to simulate the motion of the one dimensional plasma up to a level of certainty and with the limited computing resources.