A discontinuous Galerkin method for the Vlasov-Poisson system (Q422933)

The viability of a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method to approximate the Vlasov-Poisson system of equations in describing the evolution of a collisionless plasma is studied. The method is mass-conservative, it preserves the positivity of electron distribution function, enforces continuity of the electric field through mesh interfaces and fulfills boundary conditions. The method is tested in several cases, linear and nonlinear ones (Landau-damping and two-stream instability). The results demonstrate that the DG method is a viable option for the integration of the Valsov-Poisson system.