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Exploring Novel Electromagnetic Algorithms for Efficient Particle-in-Cell Simulations

POSTER

Abstract

In particle-based fluid-kinetic plasma simulations1, an electromagnetic-field solver is coupled to the particles via a mesh. Explicit finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods solve Maxwell’s equations and require very small time steps when high-resolution meshes are used. Long-time-scale simulations might require 105 to 107 time steps in order to reach the hydrodynamic time of interest. A critical area of research is to accelerate these computations using GPU hardware. The use of implicit methods generally requires additional operations to solve banded matrices and has a more-complex algorithm design, but benefits from being unconditionally stable and unrestricted by the need to resolve the speed of light on the mesh. This enables larger time steps and shorter computation times. The fundamental locally one-dimensional complying divergence (FLOD-CD) FDTD method2 is an unconditionally stable semi-implicit non-iterative method. We report on our efforts to test this and similar algorithms for accuracy, efficiency, memory use, and how well they can be accelerated and parallelized. Our goal is to stably and accurately achieve very long simulation times for inertial confinement fusion, high-energy-density physics, and magnetic fusion energy applications.

Presenters

  • Andrew T Sexton

    University of Rochester, Dept. of Computer Science, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester, Department of Computer Science, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester

Authors

  • Andrew T Sexton

    University of Rochester, Dept. of Computer Science, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester, Department of Computer Science, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester

  • John G Shaw

    Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester, Lab for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Ayden J Kish

    University of Rochester, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester, Department of Physics, Lab for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Michael Lavell

    Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lab for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Sreepathi Pai

    University of Rochester, Department of Computer Science, University of Rochester, University of Rochester Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Computer Science

  • Adam B Sefkow

    University of Rochester, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lab for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Physics and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, University of Rochester Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Computer Science, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester