Fully implicit solution methods for fluid plasma equations with physics-based pre-conditioning

Summary form only given. Many problems of interest in plasma modelling are subject to the `tyranny of scales´, specifically, problems that encompass physical processes that operate on timescales that are separated by many orders of magnitude. Investigating such problems therefore requires the use of implicit time-integration schemes, which advance problem solutions on the timescale of interest, while incorporating the physics of the fast-timescales. One promising route to develop these implicit solvers is the combination of Jacobian-Free Newton-Krylov methods, combined with physics-based pre-conditioners based on Schur complement analysis of the physical system. We describe the incorporation of such approaches into a fluid/plasma modeling tool, Ulixes². Ulixes has capabilities to model a variety of plasma fluid models encompassing the regimes of neutral flow (important in aeronautics) to high temperature plasmas important in nuclear fusion. Ulixes incorporates algorithms to solve both full-wave electromagnetic and magnetohydrodynamic models. The fluid models can use either ideal gas laws or general equation of state and all models can be solved on unstructured meshes in three-dimensions. In combination with mesh generation tools, Ulixes can be used to model fluid plasma effects in realistic geometries for applications such as arc plasma torch modeling and spacecraft re-entry into the atmosphere.