Benchmark continuum and kinetic simulations of argon microplasmas in the direct current and microwave regimes

Verma, Abhishek Kumar; Alamatsaz, Arghavan; Venkattraman, Ayyaswamy

doi:10.1088/1361-6463/aa87ac

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…[29,30] Possible reasons for these differences are also discussed in these studies. The difference in the presheath is probably a consequence of the electron cooling in the PIC/MC simulation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 86%

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Particle‐in‐cell/Monte Carlo simulation of electron and ion currents to cylindrical Langmuir probe

Zikán

Farkaš

Trunec

et al. 2018

Contributions to Plasma Physics

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Electron and ion currents to a cylindrical Langmuir (electrostatic) probe were calculated using the particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo (PIC/MC) self-consistent simulation for a neutral gas in the pressure range 2-3,000 Pa. The simulation enables us to calculate the probe currents even at high neutral gas pressures when the collisions of collected charged particles with neutral gas particles near the probe are important. The main aim of this paper is the calculation of probe currents at such high gas pressures and the comparison of the results with experimentally measured probe currents. Simulations were performed for two cases: (a) probes with varying radii in a non-thermal plasma with high electron temperature at low neutral gas pressure of 2 Pa (in order to verify the correctness of our simulations), and (b) probe with the radius of 10 m in the afterglow plasma with low electron temperature and a higher neutral gas pressure (up to 3,000 Pa). The electron probe currents obtained in case (a) show good agreement with those predicted by the orbital motion limited current (OMLC) theory for probes with radii up to 100 m for the given plasma conditions. At larger probe radii and/or at higher probe voltages, the OMLC theory incorrectly predicts too high an electron probe current for the plasma parameters studied. Additionally, a formula describing the spatial dependence of the electron density in the presheath in the collisionless case is derived. The simulation at higher neutral gas pressures, i.e. case (b), shows a decrease of the electron probe current with increasing gas pressure and the creation of a large presheath around the probe. The simulated electron probe currents are compared with those of measurements by other authors, and the differences are discussed. KEYWORDS Langmuir probe, PIC/MC simulation INTRODUCTIONParticle-in-cell/Monte Carlo (PIC/MC) simulation provides the most accurate and reliable tool for the calculation of electron and ion currents to a Langmuir (electrostatic) probe. The calculation of probe currents (probe theory) is necessary for the determination of electron and ion densities, electron temperatures, and electron energy distribution functions from probe measurements. Most of the analytical calculations of probe currents have been carried out under the assumption of a collisionless movement of charged particles around the probe [1] and can, therefore, be applied without error only to low-pressure plasmas.There is no widely accepted theory of probe currents for medium-pressure and high-pressure plasmas where the charged particles do collide with neutral particles in the sheath and presheath around the probe. Therefore, the probe measurements cannot be used for such plasmas. There exist three groups of collisional probe theories.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…The differences in the results of PIC/MC and fluid model were also observed in other recent studies. [29,30] Possible reasons for these differences are also discussed in these studies. 12 Spatial profiles of particle densities and electric field intensity for a probe at U p = 2 V calculated by the PIC/MC simulation and continuum model.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 86%

Particle‐in‐cell/Monte Carlo simulation of electron and ion currents to cylindrical Langmuir probe

Zikán

Farkaš

Trunec

et al. 2018

Contributions to Plasma Physics

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show abstract

“…The paper by Verma et al [24] describes a comparative numerical study of DC and microwave-driven microdischarges using the PIC-MCC model and a continuum fluid model to represent the plasma. Results illustrate the need for a particle approach to model DC microdischarges owing mainly to the important role of beam-like electrons generated through surface processes and accelerated through microdischarge sheaths.…”

Section: Microdischargesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in the modeling and computer simulations of non-equilibrium plasma discharges

Raja

Bourdon

Ventzek

2018

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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The mathematical modeling and computer simulation of low-temperature plasmas is gradually such a level of maturity that these simulation tools can be used not just for improving scientific understanding but also as computer-aided engineering design tools in an industrial setting. These models necessarily involve the description of multiple physical phenomena occurring over a range of times and lengths, thereby complicating their numerical implementation and solution. This special issue presents 12 invited contributions that present recent developments in the field of modeling and simulation of low-temperature plasma discharges. This editorial introduces these papers by providing an overview of the context in which these papers are presented.

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“…The most recent numerical methods of applied-field MPD thrusters are particle-in-cell with Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) algorithms [15][16][17][18]. The PIC/ MCC model based on single particle motion can capture the dynamic transport phenomenology of all plasma species and describe the properties of the sheaths [19,20]. Although this model is extremely useful to provide thorough insight into discharge, the considerable amount of calculations involved is challenging.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of scaling law for particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo simulation of low-temperature magnetized plasma for electric propulsion

Li¹,

Wu²,

Tan³

et al. 2019

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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Particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) algorithms are an outstanding numerical method for predicting the kinetic characteristics of discharge plasma. However, heavy computational costs limit its application, especially in large-scale plasma simulations. To investigate the distribution properties of plasma in magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters, we used a scale reduction method called scaling law to simplify and accelerate the PIC/ MCC simulation. In this method, the physical processes, including the particle motion and collisions, of discharge plasma remained unchanged, thereby preserving the similarity of the discharge system before and after scaling. On the basis of the scaling law, all the scaling schemes of the relevant physical quantities were obtained. We verified the scaling law by analysing the electron trajectories and densities in electromagnetic fields at different scaling factors. The scaling methodology shows great advantages in reducing the total computation and the time to achieve the convergence of the simulation. Therefore, the PIC/MCC model with the scaling law provides an efficient and in-depth understanding of the discharge plasma in MPD thrusters.

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Benchmark continuum and kinetic simulations of argon microplasmas in the direct current and microwave regimes

Cited by 13 publications

References 45 publications

Particle‐in‐cell/Monte Carlo simulation of electron and ion currents to cylindrical Langmuir probe

Particle‐in‐cell/Monte Carlo simulation of electron and ion currents to cylindrical Langmuir probe

Recent advances in the modeling and computer simulations of non-equilibrium plasma discharges

Study of scaling law for particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo simulation of low-temperature magnetized plasma for electric propulsion

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