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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
The accurate simulation of plasma–material interactions requires simultaneous resolution of physical processes across multiple scales, ranging from Debye-length sheaths to meter-scale plasma domains. Advances in hybrid particle-in-cell (PIC) modeling have been carried out to address these challenges through algorithmic innovations and hardware acceleration strategies. The hPIC2 code has been developed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a hardware-accelerated, hybrid PIC framework implemented with the Kokkos performance-portability library. This implementation allows efficient execution on modern heterogeneous architectures, including GPU-based supercomputers. The code couples dynamically with RustBCA, enabling direct simulation of plasma–surface interactions based on the binary-collision approximation. The inclusion of Boltzmann electron models permits time-advancement on ion-transport scales, facilitating long-duration plasma simulations at reduced computational cost.
A complementary block-structured nonuniform meshing technique has been introduced to minimize the total number of degrees of freedom while preserving physical fidelity. This Multi-Block Boundary-Layer (MBBL) mesh employs geometrically graded transitions between uniform regions, ensuring smooth spatial resolution across sheath, presheath, and bulk plasma zones. Together, these developments establish a scalable and accurate computational framework for multiscale plasma–surface modeling. Significant reductions in computational expense are achieved without compromising accuracy, enabling the simulation of extended plasma domains up to fusion device–relevant scales.
Bio:
Dr. Md Fazlul Huq is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Laboratory of Computational Plasma Physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on developing advanced hybrid particle-in-cell (PIC) frameworks for multiscale plasma modeling with applications to plasma–material interactions. He has contributed to the development of the GPU-accelerated hPIC2 code and a block-structured nonuniform meshing technique that enables cost-efficient, high-fidelity plasma simulations. Dr. Huq earned his Ph.D. in Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where his work centered on kinetic plasma modeling, high-performance computing, and plasma–surface interaction analysis.
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Meeting ID: 292 454 223 298 6
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Host: Will Taitano (T-5)