Neutral gas free molecular flow algorithm including ionization and walls for use in plasma simulations

Several plasma devices, including Hall and ion thrusters, operate by ionizing a low density neutral gas for which the mean free path between collisions of gas molecules is greater than typical device dimensions. In general, the discrete-particle algorithms used to calculate the neutral gas ignore velocity changes due to collisions between gas molecules. However, particle algorithms are a source of unphysical statistical noise that may detract from the study of the plasma physics, the prime purpose of most simulations. In this paper we present a new neutral gas algorithm for use in plasma simulation codes that exploits the fact that very few collisions change the velocity of neutral gas molecules. The algorithm assumes that the particle velocity distribution function for neutrals emitted from a given surface remains unchanged except for a scale factor that reflects the loss of neutrals to ionization. The sources of neutrals may be gas inlets, and isotropic, thermally accommodated, gas molecules coming off chamber surfaces including recombined ions. The algorithm is implemented in two dimensions (R–Z) with emitting surfaces represented as surfaces of revolution. The advantage of this algorithm over the conventional particle approach is the absence of statistical noise.