A finite element code for the simulation of one-dimensional Vlasov plasmas. I: Theory (Q1111899)

The Galerkin method is used to obtain a finite element solution to the Vlasov-Poisson equations over the two-dimensional (x,v) phase plane using bilinear element shape functions. A set of linear equations for updated values of the distribution function is obtained in which time-dependent and time-independent coefficients are separated to reduce the computation involved. The noise levels are low and the energy conservation good. The finite element approach offers certain advantages over alternative methods in applications to problems in plasma physics. In particular, the flexibility in using elements of different size allows problems in which regions of the plasma are characterized by often widely different scale lengths to be treated efficiently.