Hybrid-VPIC: an Open-Source Kinetic/Fluid Hybrid Particle-in-Cell Code

TL;DR

Hybrid-VPIC is an open-source hybrid particle-in-cell code that combines kinetic ions with fluid electrons, enabling advanced plasma physics simulations with improved modeling of collisional high-energy-density regimes.

Contribution

It introduces new hybrid solvers and electron transport coefficients, enhancing the accuracy and applicability of PIC simulations in space and laboratory plasma physics.

Findings

Implemented more accurate electron fluid transport coefficients.

Demonstrated applications to space and laboratory plasma problems.

Addressed numerical challenges specific to hybrid codes.

Abstract

Hybrid-VPIC is an extension of the open-source high-performance particle-in-cell (PIC) code VPIC incorporating hybrid kinetic ion/fluid electron solvers. This paper describes the models that are available in the code and gives an overview of applications of the code to space and laboratory plasma physics problems. Particular choices in how the hybrid solvers were implemented are documented for reference by users. A few solutions for handling numerical complications particular to hybrid codes are also described. Special emphasis is given to the computationally taxing problem of modeling mix in collisional high-energy-density regimes, for which more accurate electron fluid transport coefficients have been implemented for the first time in a hybrid PIC code.