Plasma simulations are often rendered challenging by the disparity of scales in time and in space which must be resolved. When these disparities are in distinctive zones of the simulation domain, a method which has proven to be effective in other areas (e.g. fluid dynamics simulations) is the mesh refinement technique. We briefly discuss the challenges posed by coupling this technique with
The numerical simulation of the driving beams in a heavy ion fusion power plant is a challenging task, and simulation of the power plant as a whole, or even of the driver, is not yet possible. Despite the rapid progress in computer power, past and anticipated, one must consider the use of the most advanced numerical techniques, if we are to reach our goal expeditiously. One of the difficulties of these simulations resides in the disparity of scales, in time and in space, which must be resolved. When these disparities are in distinctive zones of the simulation region, a method which has proven to be effective in other areas (e.g., fluid dynamics simulations) is the mesh refinement technique. We discuss the challenges posed by the implementation of this technique into plasma simulations (due to the presence of particles and electromagnetic waves). We present the prospects for and projected benefits of its application to heavy ion fusion, in particular to the simulation of the ion source and the final beam propagation in the chamber. A collaboration project is under way at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory between the Applied Numerical Algorithms Group (ANAG) and the Heavy Ion Fusion group to couple the adaptive mesh refinement library CHOMBO developed by the ANAG group to the particle-in-cell accelerator code WARP developed by the Heavy Ion Fusion–Virtual National Laboratory. We describe our progress and present our initial findings.
Beams in which space charge forces are stronger than the force from thermal pressure are nonneutral plasmas, since particles interact mostly via the long-range collective potential. An ever-increasing number of applications demand such high-brightness beams. The University of Maryland Electron Ring ͓P. G. O'Shea et al., Nucl. Instrum Methods Phys. Res. A 464, 646 ͑2001͔͒, currently under construction, is designed for studying the physics of space-charge-dominated beams. Indirect ways of measuring beam emittance near the UMER source produced conflicting results, which were resolved only when a direct measurement of phase space indicated a hollow velocity distribution. Comparison to self-consistent simulation using the particle-in-cell code WARP ͓D. P. Grote et al., 193 ͑1996͔͒ revealed sensitivity to the initial velocity distribution. Since the beam is born with nonuniformities and granularity, dissipation mechanisms and rates are of interest. Simulations found that phase mixing by means of chaotic particle orbits is possible in certain situations, and proceeds much faster than Landau damping. The implications for using beams to model other N-body systems are discussed.
A two-year study of recirculating induction heavy ion accelerators as low-cost driver for inertial-fusion energy applications was recently completed. The projected cost of a 4 MJ accelerator was estimated to be about $500 M (million) and the efficiency was estimated to be 35%. The principal technology issues include energy recovery of the ramped dipole magnets, which is achieved through use of ringing inductive/capacitive circuits, and high repetition rates of the induction cell pulsers, which is accomplished through arrays of field effect transistor (FET) switches. Principal physics issues identified include minimization of particle loss from interactions with the background gas, and more demanding emittance growth and centroid control requirements associated with the propagation of space-charge-dominated beams around bends and over large path lengths. In addition, instabilities such as the longitudinal resistive instability, beam-breakup instability and betatron-orbit instability were found to be controllable with careful design.
Electron-clouds and rising desorbed gas pressure limit the performance of many existing accelerators and, potentially, that of future accelerators including heavy-ion warm-dense matter and fusion drivers. For the latter, self-consistent simulation of the interaction of the heavy-ion beam(s) with the electron-cloud is necessary. To this end, we have merged the two codes WARP (HIF accelerator code) and POSINST (high-energy e-cloud build-up code), and added modules for neutral gas molecule generation, gas ionization, and electron tracking algorithms in magnetic fields with large time steps. The new tool is being benchmarked against the High-Current Experiment (HCX) and good agreement has been achieved. The simulations have also aided diagnostic interpretation and have identified unanticipated physical processes. We present the "roadmap" describing the different modules and their interconnections, along with detailed comparisons with HCX experimental results, as well as a preliminary application to the modeling of electron clouds in the Large Hadron Collider.
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