The LisbOn KInetics LoKI-B+C simulation tool

The LisbOn KInetics LoKI-B+C [1] is a simulation tool for plasma chemistry, originally developed under MATLAB, which couples two main calculation blocks: a Boltzmann solver (LoKI-B) [2] and a Chemical solver (LoKI-C). LoKI-B (released as open-source code [3] licensed under the GNU GPL v3.0) solves the space independent form of the two-term electron Boltzmann equation for non-magnetised non-equilibrium low-temperature plasmas, excited by DC/HF electric fields or time-dependent (non-oscillatory) electric fields from different gases or gas mixtures. LoKI-C [4] solves the system of zero-dimensional (volume average) rate balance equations for the most relevant charged and neutral species in the plasma, receiving as input the kinetic schemes for the gas/plasma system under study.

Presently, evolutions of LoKI-B+C comprise mostly: (i) the development of LoKI-B++, the C++ mirror version of LoKI-B MATLAB, in a collaboration with TU/e; (ii) the implementation of electron energy distribution function (EEDF) calculations on a variable energy grid in LoKI-B; (iii) the inclusion of an additional heating operator in LoKI-B, describing the combined ohmic-stochastic interaction of electrons with the applied electric field; (iv) the packaging of LoKI-B+C as MATLAB toolbox, allowing resorting to an online-help feature; (v) the addition of a user interface for simulation setup and execution; (vi) the integration of input files in JSON format, compliant with the new LXCat 3.0; (vii) the implementation of time-dependent calculations, coupling LoKI-B and LoKI-C under different approximations; (viii) the design and development of a regression test suite; (ix) the optimization of the iterative calculation cycles.This contribution presents a progress report on the development of LoKI-B+C and is intended to also receive comments and suggestions from the low-temperature plasmas community, in preparation of its release as open-source code.

[1] nprime.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/loki/

[2] Tejero-Del-Caz, A. et al., Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 28, 043001 (2019).

[3] github.com/IST-Lisbon/LoKI/

[4] Guerra, V. et al., Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 28, 073001 (2019).