A Versatile Numerical Method for the Multi-Fluid Plasma Model in Partially- and Fully-Ionized Plasmas

Abstract

We present an innovative numerical method that solves for the multi-fluid plasma equations, including the transport, frictional, and chemical reactions terms, coupled to full Maxwell’s equations. The numerical method features a scheme for the electromagnetic field with a proper scaling for the numerical dissipation, a scheme that solves flows at all speeds regimes (from subsonic to supersonic), and implicit time integration to tackle the stiffness of the system. Verification of the numerical scheme is also presented in a wide variety of plasma conditions.