kinetic modeling of the sheath scale in the lunar plasma environment

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Kinetic Modeling of the Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment Tech-X Corporation 5621 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, CO 80303 http://www.txcorp.com Peter Messmer*, Keegan Amyx, Peter Stoltz, Andrew Poppe, Mihay Horanyi, Scott Robertson, Zoltan Sternovsky [email protected] CCLDAS All Hands Meeting, Boulder, CO, July 10, 2009

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Kinetic Modeling of the Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment. Peter Messmer*, Keegan Amyx, Peter Stoltz, Andrew Poppe, Mihay Horanyi, Scott Robertson, Zoltan Sternovsky [email protected]. Tech-X Corporation 5621 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, CO 80303 http://www.txcorp.com. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Kinetic Modeling of the  Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment

Kinetic Modeling of the Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma

Environment

Tech-X Corporation5621 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, CO 80303

http://www.txcorp.com

Peter Messmer*, Keegan Amyx, Peter Stoltz, Andrew Poppe, Mihay Horanyi, Scott

Robertson, Zoltan Sternovsky [email protected]

CCLDAS All Hands Meeting, Boulder, CO, July 10, 2009

Page 2: Kinetic Modeling of the  Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment

VORPAL -A Plasma Modeling Framework

Original target applications: Laser Wakefield Acceleration

PIC, Fluid, HybirdElectrostatic, EMMulti-Dimensional (N=1,2,3)Fully parallel

Scaling for > 32,000 PEs Flexible domain decomposition

Broad range of physics features:- Complex geometries- Ionization, recombination, CEX physics- Field ionization

http://www.txcorp.com/products/VORPAL

Page 3: Kinetic Modeling of the  Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment

Code/setup Validation with 1D Photoelectron Sheath

R. Garad & J Tunaley, JGR 76(10), 2498, 1971

A. Poppe & M. Horanyi, WPDP, 2009

2D ES simulation, Y periodic ,200 x 10 cellsdx = 1050 particles per cell nominal

1

00

2

21/

z

EE

31

00

2

31/

z

EE

Simulation

Garad&Tunaley

Monoenergetic

Maxwellian

Page 4: Kinetic Modeling of the  Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment

2D Monoenergetic Sheath

2D ES simulation, left wall = 0V200 x 100 cellsElectrons, ProtonsMonoenergetic ,V0 = 200 eV (!)

electrons

protons

Page 5: Kinetic Modeling of the  Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment

Scenario with Surface Charging

Surface-Charging No surface charging

(just for comparison)

Page 6: Kinetic Modeling of the  Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment

2D Thermal Sheath with Surface Charging

2D ES simulation, left wall = 0V200 x 100 cellsElectronsHeavy Protons, Heavy electrons (m/m0= 5000)Vsig = 3eV, Vtherm = 3 eV

Electron impact creates“heavy electrons”

Electrons get absorbed

Page 7: Kinetic Modeling of the  Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment

Electric field mainly due to positive charge of emitting

region

ChargingNon Charging

Page 8: Kinetic Modeling of the  Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment

“Heavy Electrons” follow the electric field lines

2D ES simulation, left wall = 0V200 x 100 cellsElectronsHeavy Protons, Heavy electrons (m/m0= 5000)Vsig = 3eV, Vtherm = 3 eV

Page 9: Kinetic Modeling of the  Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment

Initial 3D simulations

3D ES simulation, bottom wall = 0V10 x 100 x 100 cellsElectronsProtons, Heavy electrons (m/m0= 5000)Vsig = 3eV, Vtherm = 3 eV

Charging of surface

No charging of surface

Page 10: Kinetic Modeling of the  Sheath Scale in the Lunar Plasma Environment

Summary / Conclusions / Future work

Presented VORPAL simulations of plasma sheath Validated with kinetic theory for 1D sheath Presented 2D simulation with/without surface charging “heavy electrons” move in electrostatic field, follow (curved)

field lines

Future work: Convergence studies, more realistic parameters Inclusion of solar wind Time dependent problems, angular dependency of photo-

currents Complex geometries (crater, habitat, instrument) 3D

Work supported by CCLDAS and Tech-X Corp.