Increasing Access to Computational Plasma Physics using the Gkeyll Simulation Framework

High performance computing is a critical component of modern plasma physics research. Every aspect of plasma physics is utilizing supercomputers to tackle the most high impact problems in the field, from transport in fusion reactors to the dynamics of plasmas around compact objects like black holes and pulsars. However, many students lack access to tools and resources to learn how to use high performance computing resources, and the required computational plasma physics skills to write code to leverage these resources. Using the Gkeyll simulation framework, we have created a set of Jupyter Notebooks to introduce students to the entire simulation workflow, from code compilation to resource selection, to running simulations and analyzing their output, all in a pedagogical fashion. The tool's scientific focus is a common plasma physics problem: magnetic reconnection while providing an introduction to high-performance computing via a holistic overview of running simulations. It will also control the input parameters, initial conditions, boundary conditions, and computing resources requested. Using a deployment of this new educational tool on the Princeton Stellar cluster, we will demonstrate how this workflow provides a new means of introducing students to both computational plasma physics and high performance computing.