Parallelization of semi-Lagrangian Vlasov codes

Abstract

We describe the parallel implementation of semi-Lagrangian Vlasov solvers, which are an alternative to particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations for the numerical investigation of the behaviour of charged particles in their self-consistent electromagnetic fields. The semi-Lagrangian method, which couples the Lagrangian and Eulerian points of view, is particularly interesting on parallel computers, since the solution is computed on grid points, the number of which remains constant in time on each processor, unlike the number of particles in PIC simulations, and thus greatly simplifies the parallelization process.