A solver based on pseudo-spectral analytical time-domain method for the two-fluid plasma model

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel solver for the three-dimensional two-fluid plasma model that uses the PseudoSpectral Analytical Time-Domain method to accurately simulate laser-plasma interactions without numerical dispersion.

Contribution

It presents a new solver combining PSATD with finite difference schemes for efficient, dispersion-free electromagnetic wave simulation in plasma models.

Findings

The solver conserves energy and momentum accurately.

It shows quantitative agreement with wave conversion phenomena.

No grid staggering is required for the method.

Abstract

A number of physical processes in laser-plasma interaction can be described with the two-fluid plasma model. We report on a solver for the three-dimensional two-fluid plasma model equations. This solver is particularly suited for simulating the interaction between short laser pulses with plasmas. The fluid solver relies on two-step Lax-Wendroff split with a fourth-order Runge-Kutta scheme, and we use the PseudoSpectral Analytical Time-Domain (PSATD) method to solve Maxwell's curl equations. Overall, this method is only based on finite difference schemes and fast Fourier transforms and does not require any grid staggering. The PseudoSpectral Analytical Time-Domain method removes the numerical dispersion for transverse electromagnetic wave propagation in the absence of current that is conventionally observed for other Maxwell solvers. The full algorithm is validated by conservation of energy and momentum when an electromagnetic pulse is launched onto a plasma ramp and by quantitative agreement with wave conversion of p-polarized electromagnetic wave onto a plasma ramp.