The Gaussian radial basis function method for plasma kinetic theory

DOI10.1016/J.PHYSLETA.2015.08.010zbMATH Open1361.82020arXiv1503.06312OpenAlexW1546847713MaRDI QIDQ529564FDOQ529564

Authors: Yong-Cai Geng, Sumit K. Garg 

Publication date: 19 May 2017

Published in: Physics Letters. A (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: A fundamental macroscopic description of a magnetized plasma is the Vlasov equation supplemented by the nonlinear inverse-square force Fokker-Planck collision operator [Rosenbluth et al., Phys. Rev., 107, 1957]. The Vlasov part describes advection in a six-dimensional phase space whereas the collision operator involves friction and diffusion coefficients that are weighted velocity-space integrals of the particle distribution function. The Fokker-Planck collision operator is an integro-differential, bilinear operator, and numerical discretization of the operator is far from trivial. In this letter, we describe a new approach to discretize the entire kinetic system based on an expansion in Gaussian Radial Basis functions (RBFs). This approach is particularly well-suited to treat the collision operator because the friction and diffusion coefficients can be analytically calculated. Although the RBF method is known to be a powerful scheme for the interpolation of scattered multidimensional data, Gaussian RBFs also have a deep physical interpretation as local thermodynamic equilibria. In this letter we outline the general theory, highlight the connection to plasma fluid theories, and also give 2D and 3D numerical solutions of the nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation. A broad spectrum of applications for the new method is anticipated in both astrophysical and laboratory plasmas.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1503.06312

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zbMATH Keywords

non-linearFokker-PlanckCoulomb collisionskinetic theory

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Kinetic theory of gases in time-dependent statistical mechanics (82C40) Vlasov equations (35Q83) Fokker-Planck equations (35Q84) Quantum dynamics and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics (general) (82C10) Statistical mechanics of plasmas (82D10)

Cites Work

• Stable Computations with Gaussian Radial Basis Functions
• Fokker-Planck Equation for an Inverse-Square Force
• Fast spectral methods for the Fokker-Planck-Landau collision operator.
• Fast elliptic solvers in cylindrical coordinates and the Coulomb collision operator
• A high-order finite-volume algorithm for Fokker-Planck collisions in magnetized plasmas

Cited In (2)

• Numerical computation of the modified plasma dispersion function with curvature
• NORSE: a solver for the relativistic non-linear Fokker-Planck equation for electrons in a homogeneous plasma

Uses Software

• rbf_qr

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