Algorithms for Computational Plasma Physics

There is a broad class of algorithms and methods that are common to several scientific or engineering problems that are at the heart of the activitites performed within the Simulation and Data Labs. Ideally, the development of simulation programs follows a layered design in which generic methods are applied to create or extend domain-specific solutions. Such methods must therefore exploit the most efficient algorithms or parallel tools to avoid becoming computational bottlenecks themselves.

The SDL PP covers algotithms used in the domain of plasma physics. It has a strong expertise in mesh-free, tree-based methods and particle-in-cell (PIC) codes. With continuous access to the latest hardware developments, the SDL always strives to adapt codes to recent trends in hard- and software. There are frequent cooperations with external partners that explore new programming paradigms.

The high-level support the SDL provides to its community acts as a direct feedback for those new developments. Projects within PRACE or EoCoE ensure the expertise is used to enhance community codes like EPOCH, where the SDL has developed performance improvements for the moving window algorithm or a new spin-tracking module.

Several Coulomb solvers are being developed at JSC: The SDL PP develops PEPC, Barnes-Hut tree algorithm while another example is the Fast Multipole Method (FMM).