Plasma Physics Modeling
First-principles kinetic simulation of non-equilibrium instabilities (two-stream as a reference case).
Demo clip of simulation output (poster shown before playback).
Problem
Non-equilibrium plasmas can exhibit instabilities that strongly affect experiments and device performance. To model these systems predictively, you need simulations that reproduce expected behavior, expose assumptions, and make it easy to verify intermediate steps.
Approach
I focus on first-principles kinetic modeling, using the two-stream instability as a representative system. The goal is to bridge the analytic “what should happen?” intuition with numerical results you can inspect, reproduce, and extend.
What’s in scope
- Kinetic simulation: dynamics resolved in phase space
- Instability behavior: growth and saturation features
- Reproducibility: parameters and outputs organized for iteration
Implementation
Simulation design
- Python-based numerical simulation with optimized solvers
- Modular structure designed to extend to other plasma phenomena
- Clear outputs for debugging and sanity-checking expected regimes
Outputs
- Visualizations of instability growth and phase-space dynamics
- Runs organized for parameter exploration and comparison
- Code hosted publicly for transparency and reproducibility
Outcome & next steps
The simulation reproduces expected qualitative instability behavior and provides a foundation for expanding the model set. A natural next step is an interactive interface for real-time parameter manipulation and visualization (useful both for exploration and communication).