Magic electromagnetic FDTD-PIC code dense plasma model comparison with LSP

Summary form only given. MAGIC finite difference time domain particle-in-cell code electromagnetic responses computed using the dense plasma model have been compared with Lsp. Excellent agreement of the tools is achieved using simple geometric representations of generic electron beam chamber experiments. Air ionization occurs by primary and low energy secondary electrons. Secondaries are the ionization. The codes used the same Lsp electron mobility. A pinched electron beam test was performed in a large cylindrical cavity. The current density from a 15-cm-wide annulus rises to 3 A/cm2 in 10 ns then remains constant. The contours at 30 ns from both codes are very similar and show a maximum pinched magnetic field of -0.018 tesla 1.2 meters from the cathode. The responses of MAGIC and Lsp demonstrate significant agreement of dense plasma models in total because the zone- by-zone travelling plasma breakdown of the electric fields and transition to magnetic field determination of electron trajectories stresses every core aspect of the codes. Based on results presented here, MAGIC users can be confident they will obtain the same responses as Lsp for dense plasmas. All of the Lsp generic air model rates have been programmed into the latest version of MAGIC (2.1.2). Additionally, MAGIC has been upgraded for input of arbitrary gas chemistry functions. This enables the convenient representation of more complex gas mixtures causing dense plasmas.