ISDEP: Integrator of stochastic differential equations for plasmas Original Research Article

In this paper we present a general description of the ISDEP code (Integrator of Stochastic Differential Equations for Plasmas) and a brief overview of its physical results and applications so far. ISDEP is a Monte Carlo code that calculates the distribution function of a minority population of ions in a magnetized plasma. It solves the ion equations of motion taking into account the complex 3D structure of fusion devices, the confining electromagnetic field and collisions with other plasma species. The Monte Carlo method used is based on the equivalence between the Fokker–Planck and Langevin equations. This allows ISDEP to run in distributed computing platforms without communication between nodes with almost linear scaling. This paper intends to be a general description and a reference paper in ISDEP.