$\pi$-PIC: a framework for modular particle-in-cell developments and simulations

TL;DR

This paper introduces $ ext{-PIC},$ a Python-based modular framework that facilitates the development, testing, and comparison of advanced particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation methods, enabling more efficient and flexible plasma physics research.

Contribution

It provides a unified, extensible interface for PIC solver development and testing, supporting novel methods that improve conservation and sampling, in Python and low-level languages.

Findings

Demonstrated flexible implementation of multiple PIC solvers.

Showcased extensions for boundary conditions and laser pulse focusing.

Validated the framework's capability for diverse PIC simulations.

Abstract

Recently proposed modifications of the standard particle-in-cell (PIC) method resolve long-standing limitations such as exact preservation of physically conserved quantities and unbiased ensemble down-sampling. Such advances pave the way for next-generation PIC codes capable of using lower resolution and fewer particles per cell, enabling interactive studies on personal computers and facilitating large-scale parameter scans on supercomputers. Here, we present a Python-controlled framework which promotes the dissemination and adoption of novel PIC developments by providing a unified interface for accommodation, cross-testing, and comparison of PIC solvers and extensions written in Python or low-level languages like C++. To demonstrate the flexibility of the proposed interface, we present and test implementations of several PIC solvers, as well as extensions that are capable of managing absorbing boundaries, moving-window simulations, and tight focusing of laser pulses.