From: Mike Rosing <rosing@neurophys.wisc.edu>
Newsgroups: sci.physics.plasma
Subject: Re: Plasma Modeling
Organization: University of Wisconsin, Madison
References: <b6jstg$f625$1@saturn.cs.uml.edu>


nwaivio wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> I am kind of curious about how you all view different plasma models and
> plasma modeling in general. I have had some experience with FEM of
> mechanical stress, strain, and heat transfer, and solving the classic 3 body
> PDE's. Plasma modeling seems to deal with different equations but it uses
> similar techniques and practices.
>
> I was thinking of starting out with a simplified model that would ignore
> temperature effects, and collisions (eliminating the more destabilizing
> effects). Basically a compressible two fluid model with Maxwell's equations.
> I believe this model would give a little insight to plasma waves, and plasma
> dynamics. Does anyone know any papers on this subject as most of the ones I
> have found were much more complicated models.

Howdy Nathan,

Start with a web search on "plasma fluid model". You'll get 100,000+ hits.
pick off the ones that make the most sense and start playing!

It is a very good place to start. You will get some insight on plasmas and
have a reasonably easy coding problem.

Maxwell's equations are a bit different than the other stuff because you need
to take care you don't violate physical law with your number crunching. With
normal PDE's that's never a problem, but with Maxwell moving faster than light
can be done numericly without trying too hard (mistakes are easy :-)
Other than that, it's basicly the same thing you're used to.

Patience, persistence, truth,
Dr. mike

--
Mike Rosing
www.beastrider.com BeastRider, LLC
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