Ralf Schneider - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Ralf Schneider

Research paper thumbnail of Study of volume and surface effects in pure hydrogen discharges

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Study of effect of grain size on dust charging in an RF plasma using three-dimensional PIC-MCC simulations

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2008

A 3-dimensional Particle-Particle Particle-Mesh (P3M) code is applied to study the charging proce... more A 3-dimensional Particle-Particle Particle-Mesh (P3M) code is applied to study the charging process of micrometer size dust grains confined in a capacitive RF discharge. In our model, particles (electrons and ions) are treated kinetically (Particle-in-Cell with Monte Carlo Collisions (PIC-MCC)). In order to accurately resolve the plasma particles' motion close to the dust grain, the PIC technique is supplemented with

Research paper thumbnail of Stochastic Diffusion Tensor and Tungsten Ion Fluxes in Drift Optimised Plasma Configuration

Research paper thumbnail of Stochasticity of heavy ion trajectories in drift optimised plasma configuration

Research paper thumbnail of Ruben Wiese, Vladimir Sushkov, Holger Kersten, Venkata R Ikkurthi, Ralf Schneider and Rainer Hippler Behavior of a porous particle in a radiofrequency plasma under pulsed argon ion beam bombardment New J. Phys. 12 (2010) 033036 (19pp)

Research paper thumbnail of 13th International Conference in Fusion Reactor Material

Research paper thumbnail of Poster EPS2011 P5-058

Research paper thumbnail of Comparison of SPT and HEMP thruster concepts from kinetic simulations

ABSTRACT The Particle-in-Cell (PIC) method was used to study two different ion thruster concepts ... more ABSTRACT The Particle-in-Cell (PIC) method was used to study two different ion thruster concepts –Stationary Plasma Thrusters (SPT) and High Efficiency Multistage Plasma Thrusters (HEMP-T), in particular the plasma properties in the discharge chamber due to the different magnetic field configurations. Special attention was paid to the simulation of plasma particle fluxes on the thrusters' channel surfaces. In both cases, PIC proved itself as a powerful tool, delivering important insight into the basic physics of the different thruster concepts. The simulations demonstrated that the new HEMP thruster concept allows for a high thermal efficiency due to both minimal energy dissipation and high acceleration efficiency. In the HEMP thruster the plasma contact to the wall is limited only to very small areas of the magnetic field cusps, which results in much smaller ion energy flux to the thruster channel surface as compared to SPT. The erosion yields for dielectric discharge channel walls of SPT and HEMP thrusters were calculated with the binary collision code SDTrimSP. For SPT, an erosion rate on the level of 1 mm of sputtered material per hour was observed. For HEMP, thruster simulations have shown that there is no erosion inside the dielectric discharge channel.

Research paper thumbnail of PIC/MC Code BIT1 for Plasma Simulations on HPC

2010 18th Euromicro Conference on Parallel, Distributed and Network-based Processing, 2010

In this work we describe an optimization technique for PIC/MC modeling of the plasma edge using H... more In this work we describe an optimization technique for PIC/MC modeling of the plasma edge using High Performance Computing. The developed code BIT1 can be used for 1D3V plasma and 2D3V neutral particle modeling with a reasonable scaling up to 1000 and more processors.

Research paper thumbnail of Optical Emission of Dusty RF Discharges: Experiment and Simulation

ABSTRACT The spectral emission of argon atoms in a dusty radio frequence (RF) discharge has been ... more ABSTRACT The spectral emission of argon atoms in a dusty radio frequence (RF) discharge has been investigated experimentally and in simulations. It was observed that the spatially and temporally resolved emission of the argon atoms in the dusty discharge was increased compared to the dust‐free case during sheath expansion. The corresponding simulations have revealed that the dust trapped in the sheath of the discharge leads to a small, but important, increase of the amount of high‐energy electrons that in turn leads to an increased argon emission.

Research paper thumbnail of Modeling of Edge Plasma Transport in 3D

Two-dimensional fluid codes have become standard modeling tools for scrape-off layer and divertor... more Two-dimensional fluid codes have become standard modeling tools for scrape-off layer and divertor in tokamaks. Such 2D codes (UEDGE, B2, EDGE2D) solve a reduced set of plasma fluid equations with the assumption of toroidal symmetry. However perfect toroidal symmetry in tokamak edge never holds due to details of plasma facing components. Moreover, with the renewed interest in stellarators with several major experiments under way or planned (W7AS, W7X, LHD, NCSX) there is a demand for 3D modeling tools for the edge plasma. One such tool under development is the 3D fluid edge code BoRiS. (M.Borchardt et al., J. Nucl. Mater., 290-293 (2001) 546-550.) A focus of the present investigation is development and testing robust numerical schemes for edge plasma fluid equations in 3D. This analysis includes benchmarking of BoRiS on sample problems where an exact solution can be found, and benchmarking against a 2D code such as UEDGE for the toroidally symmetric case. We will discuss the options ...

Research paper thumbnail of Particle modelling of the hybrid negative ion source

Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 2011

ABSTRACT In this paper we present results of different particle-based models of expansion and ext... more ABSTRACT In this paper we present results of different particle-based models of expansion and extraction regions for the ITER negative ion source. Results show the important role of electron-induced processes (eV excitation and dissociation) and gas-surface and plasma-surface interactions (atom recombinative desorption and ion neutralization) for the production of negative ion precursors. The spatial distribution of neutral and ionized caesium as well as the drag due to the deuterium flow and its re-evaporation from the plasma grid is calculated. The self-consistent two-dimensional electric field distribution in the extraction region allows a better understanding of the transport of surface-produced negative ions towards the orifice. The model delivers an extraction probability of less than 25%.

Research paper thumbnail of P3M simulations of dusty plasmas

Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 2010

... A 7 2758 [4] Bouchoule A 1999 Dusty Plasmas: Physics, Chemistry and Technological Impacts in ... more ... A 7 2758 [4] Bouchoule A 1999 Dusty Plasmas: Physics, Chemistry and Technological Impacts in Plasma Processing (New York: Wiley) [5] Swinkels GHPM ... 266–269 228–33 [10] Rubel M, Cecconello M, Malmberg JA, Sergienko G, Biel W, Drake JR, Hedqvist A, Huber A and ...

Research paper thumbnail of Resonant influence of helicity on Alfvén heating of plasma in stellarators

Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 2003

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of Plasma flow in a Hall thruster

Physics of Plasmas, 2005

This work represents a two-dimensional axisymmetric fully kinetic particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo co... more This work represents a two-dimensional axisymmetric fully kinetic particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision model of the plasmadynamics in the acceleration channel of a stationary plasma thruster. The model includes the process of secondary electron emission from the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Particle-In-Cell simulation of laser photodetachment in capacitively coupled radio frequency oxygen discharges

Research paper thumbnail of 3D Scrape-off layer modelling with BoRiS

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2005

The 3D fluid transport code BoRiS is applied to a hydrogen plasma and a neutral fluid in a stella... more The 3D fluid transport code BoRiS is applied to a hydrogen plasma and a neutral fluid in a stellarator-like geometry equipped with a poloidal ring limiter. The results demonstrate the capability of dealing with 3D effects which can be related to both the influence of the geometry and the plasma-neutral interaction as well. The setup used has similarities with a poloidal gas target in a fusion device.

Research paper thumbnail of Multiscale Simulation of Hall Discharge

International Journal for Multiscale Computational Engineering, 2006

ABSTRACT Non-Maxwellian behavior and plasma-wall interaction are key processes in the physics of ... more ABSTRACT Non-Maxwellian behavior and plasma-wall interaction are key processes in the physics of Hall thrusters. For this purpose, a 2D {r, z}-3V axisymmetric fully kinetic particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC-MCC) model of the acceleration channel including the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Surface-Driven Asymmetry and Instability in the Acceleration Region of Hall Thruster

Contributions to Plasma Physics, 2008

It has been shown experimentally that the channel wall material has a substantial effect on the b... more It has been shown experimentally that the channel wall material has a substantial effect on the behaviour of Hall discharges. For this reason, the radial profile inside the Hall thruster SPT-100 is investigated in detail. This is done by a one-dimensional fully kinetic self-consistent Particle-in-Cell model between the two walls in the acceleration region of the channel. A detailed Monte Carlo probabilistic model for secondary electron emission is implemented as boundary module. Using the local field approximation, two different operative conditions (axial electric field Ez=100 V/cm and 300 V/cm) have been simulated. For high discharge voltage case, a strong radial asymmetry and a stream instability propagating all along the radial domain are detected, while in the low voltage case a stable classical situation is recovered. The critical parameters for triggering this unstable regime are the electron azimuthal drift energy and the induced secondary electron emission, while the saturation mechanism is the increasing of the temperature of the initially cold secondary-electrons.

Research paper thumbnail of Extensions of B2 for the Simulation of ASDEX — Upgrade Scrape-off Layer Plasmas

Contributions to Plasma Physics, 1992

Research paper thumbnail of Study of volume and surface effects in pure hydrogen discharges

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Study of effect of grain size on dust charging in an RF plasma using three-dimensional PIC-MCC simulations

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2008

A 3-dimensional Particle-Particle Particle-Mesh (P3M) code is applied to study the charging proce... more A 3-dimensional Particle-Particle Particle-Mesh (P3M) code is applied to study the charging process of micrometer size dust grains confined in a capacitive RF discharge. In our model, particles (electrons and ions) are treated kinetically (Particle-in-Cell with Monte Carlo Collisions (PIC-MCC)). In order to accurately resolve the plasma particles' motion close to the dust grain, the PIC technique is supplemented with

Research paper thumbnail of Stochastic Diffusion Tensor and Tungsten Ion Fluxes in Drift Optimised Plasma Configuration

Research paper thumbnail of Stochasticity of heavy ion trajectories in drift optimised plasma configuration

Research paper thumbnail of Ruben Wiese, Vladimir Sushkov, Holger Kersten, Venkata R Ikkurthi, Ralf Schneider and Rainer Hippler Behavior of a porous particle in a radiofrequency plasma under pulsed argon ion beam bombardment New J. Phys. 12 (2010) 033036 (19pp)

Research paper thumbnail of 13th International Conference in Fusion Reactor Material

Research paper thumbnail of Poster EPS2011 P5-058

Research paper thumbnail of Comparison of SPT and HEMP thruster concepts from kinetic simulations

ABSTRACT The Particle-in-Cell (PIC) method was used to study two different ion thruster concepts ... more ABSTRACT The Particle-in-Cell (PIC) method was used to study two different ion thruster concepts –Stationary Plasma Thrusters (SPT) and High Efficiency Multistage Plasma Thrusters (HEMP-T), in particular the plasma properties in the discharge chamber due to the different magnetic field configurations. Special attention was paid to the simulation of plasma particle fluxes on the thrusters' channel surfaces. In both cases, PIC proved itself as a powerful tool, delivering important insight into the basic physics of the different thruster concepts. The simulations demonstrated that the new HEMP thruster concept allows for a high thermal efficiency due to both minimal energy dissipation and high acceleration efficiency. In the HEMP thruster the plasma contact to the wall is limited only to very small areas of the magnetic field cusps, which results in much smaller ion energy flux to the thruster channel surface as compared to SPT. The erosion yields for dielectric discharge channel walls of SPT and HEMP thrusters were calculated with the binary collision code SDTrimSP. For SPT, an erosion rate on the level of 1 mm of sputtered material per hour was observed. For HEMP, thruster simulations have shown that there is no erosion inside the dielectric discharge channel.

Research paper thumbnail of PIC/MC Code BIT1 for Plasma Simulations on HPC

2010 18th Euromicro Conference on Parallel, Distributed and Network-based Processing, 2010

In this work we describe an optimization technique for PIC/MC modeling of the plasma edge using H... more In this work we describe an optimization technique for PIC/MC modeling of the plasma edge using High Performance Computing. The developed code BIT1 can be used for 1D3V plasma and 2D3V neutral particle modeling with a reasonable scaling up to 1000 and more processors.

Research paper thumbnail of Optical Emission of Dusty RF Discharges: Experiment and Simulation

ABSTRACT The spectral emission of argon atoms in a dusty radio frequence (RF) discharge has been ... more ABSTRACT The spectral emission of argon atoms in a dusty radio frequence (RF) discharge has been investigated experimentally and in simulations. It was observed that the spatially and temporally resolved emission of the argon atoms in the dusty discharge was increased compared to the dust‐free case during sheath expansion. The corresponding simulations have revealed that the dust trapped in the sheath of the discharge leads to a small, but important, increase of the amount of high‐energy electrons that in turn leads to an increased argon emission.

Research paper thumbnail of Modeling of Edge Plasma Transport in 3D

Two-dimensional fluid codes have become standard modeling tools for scrape-off layer and divertor... more Two-dimensional fluid codes have become standard modeling tools for scrape-off layer and divertor in tokamaks. Such 2D codes (UEDGE, B2, EDGE2D) solve a reduced set of plasma fluid equations with the assumption of toroidal symmetry. However perfect toroidal symmetry in tokamak edge never holds due to details of plasma facing components. Moreover, with the renewed interest in stellarators with several major experiments under way or planned (W7AS, W7X, LHD, NCSX) there is a demand for 3D modeling tools for the edge plasma. One such tool under development is the 3D fluid edge code BoRiS. (M.Borchardt et al., J. Nucl. Mater., 290-293 (2001) 546-550.) A focus of the present investigation is development and testing robust numerical schemes for edge plasma fluid equations in 3D. This analysis includes benchmarking of BoRiS on sample problems where an exact solution can be found, and benchmarking against a 2D code such as UEDGE for the toroidally symmetric case. We will discuss the options ...

Research paper thumbnail of Particle modelling of the hybrid negative ion source

Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 2011

ABSTRACT In this paper we present results of different particle-based models of expansion and ext... more ABSTRACT In this paper we present results of different particle-based models of expansion and extraction regions for the ITER negative ion source. Results show the important role of electron-induced processes (eV excitation and dissociation) and gas-surface and plasma-surface interactions (atom recombinative desorption and ion neutralization) for the production of negative ion precursors. The spatial distribution of neutral and ionized caesium as well as the drag due to the deuterium flow and its re-evaporation from the plasma grid is calculated. The self-consistent two-dimensional electric field distribution in the extraction region allows a better understanding of the transport of surface-produced negative ions towards the orifice. The model delivers an extraction probability of less than 25%.

Research paper thumbnail of P3M simulations of dusty plasmas

Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 2010

... A 7 2758 [4] Bouchoule A 1999 Dusty Plasmas: Physics, Chemistry and Technological Impacts in ... more ... A 7 2758 [4] Bouchoule A 1999 Dusty Plasmas: Physics, Chemistry and Technological Impacts in Plasma Processing (New York: Wiley) [5] Swinkels GHPM ... 266–269 228–33 [10] Rubel M, Cecconello M, Malmberg JA, Sergienko G, Biel W, Drake JR, Hedqvist A, Huber A and ...

Research paper thumbnail of Resonant influence of helicity on Alfvén heating of plasma in stellarators

Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 2003

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of Plasma flow in a Hall thruster

Physics of Plasmas, 2005

This work represents a two-dimensional axisymmetric fully kinetic particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo co... more This work represents a two-dimensional axisymmetric fully kinetic particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision model of the plasmadynamics in the acceleration channel of a stationary plasma thruster. The model includes the process of secondary electron emission from the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Particle-In-Cell simulation of laser photodetachment in capacitively coupled radio frequency oxygen discharges

Research paper thumbnail of 3D Scrape-off layer modelling with BoRiS

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2005

The 3D fluid transport code BoRiS is applied to a hydrogen plasma and a neutral fluid in a stella... more The 3D fluid transport code BoRiS is applied to a hydrogen plasma and a neutral fluid in a stellarator-like geometry equipped with a poloidal ring limiter. The results demonstrate the capability of dealing with 3D effects which can be related to both the influence of the geometry and the plasma-neutral interaction as well. The setup used has similarities with a poloidal gas target in a fusion device.

Research paper thumbnail of Multiscale Simulation of Hall Discharge

International Journal for Multiscale Computational Engineering, 2006

ABSTRACT Non-Maxwellian behavior and plasma-wall interaction are key processes in the physics of ... more ABSTRACT Non-Maxwellian behavior and plasma-wall interaction are key processes in the physics of Hall thrusters. For this purpose, a 2D {r, z}-3V axisymmetric fully kinetic particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC-MCC) model of the acceleration channel including the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Surface-Driven Asymmetry and Instability in the Acceleration Region of Hall Thruster

Contributions to Plasma Physics, 2008

It has been shown experimentally that the channel wall material has a substantial effect on the b... more It has been shown experimentally that the channel wall material has a substantial effect on the behaviour of Hall discharges. For this reason, the radial profile inside the Hall thruster SPT-100 is investigated in detail. This is done by a one-dimensional fully kinetic self-consistent Particle-in-Cell model between the two walls in the acceleration region of the channel. A detailed Monte Carlo probabilistic model for secondary electron emission is implemented as boundary module. Using the local field approximation, two different operative conditions (axial electric field Ez=100 V/cm and 300 V/cm) have been simulated. For high discharge voltage case, a strong radial asymmetry and a stream instability propagating all along the radial domain are detected, while in the low voltage case a stable classical situation is recovered. The critical parameters for triggering this unstable regime are the electron azimuthal drift energy and the induced secondary electron emission, while the saturation mechanism is the increasing of the temperature of the initially cold secondary-electrons.

Research paper thumbnail of Extensions of B2 for the Simulation of ASDEX — Upgrade Scrape-off Layer Plasmas

Contributions to Plasma Physics, 1992