Open Source Simulation Platform for Plasma Education

With plasma's many applications, there are great benefits to studying it. To physically produce a plasma, however, vacuum systems, gases, and a source of high energy are needed. By utilizing computational methods to model these plasma systems instead, resources, such as these, can be conserved. Zapdos1 is an open-source plasma code that employs finite-element method (FEM) and the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework to simulate the transport of plasma species, the mean energy of electrons, and plasma potential assuming the electrostatic approximation. It does this by using a multi-fluid plasma model, treating the plasma as a fluid. By using principles found in Michael A. Lieberman's, "Principles of Plasma Discharges and Materials Processing, " we have developed a wide range of tutorials, template input files, and video demonstrations2 with cases from diffusion to electronegative plasmas. Being that Zapdos is open-source, the ability to learn about plasmas and construct customizable plasma models will be accessible to more students. With its ability to provide accessibility, convenience, and conservation of resources and time, Zapdos is a necessary resource that will serve as a catalyst to drive plasma exploration and learning.