Improving electron transport in Monte Carlo simulations using high-fidelity collision models

Current particle-in-cell Monte Carlo (PIC-MC) plasma simulation codes utilize an eclectic set of atomic and molecular cross section data to perform calculations. The availability of differential (angle and energy) resolved cross section data suited for simulation purposes is often limited, and simplified scattering models are used in situ. Direct simulation plasma codes offer a platform on which to test these more advanced models easily for a variety of purposes.

In this talk, we demonstrate the effect of differential elastic and ionization cross section models on the electron transport in swarm conditions and low-temperature plasmas. Several gasses are simulated using high-fidelity anisotropic elastic scattering models and electron ionization energy sharing models. We use a newly developed 0D direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) code "ThunderBoltz", and a 1D PIC-MC code "eduPIC" to produce quality electron velocity distribution functions, kinetic reaction rates, and electron mobility and diffusion coefficients. We compare these transport parameters to demonstrate the importance of using higher fidelity differential collision models and outline scenarios where these more detailed models are necessary.