Can any body tell me basics of what is this "Particle-in-cell" simulation?

Is it anyhow similar to CFD problems? I guess it is similar only in the numerical methods... Am i right?

If you can suggest some sight or literature..it will be nice!

Thankx

PIC was invented by Dr. Frank Harlow at the Los Alamos National Lab in the 1950's. A few of the references:

A. The Particle-in-Cell Method: A combined Eulerian-Lagrangian computing method that is suitable for solving multimaterial problems involving large fluid distortions. 1955 Harlow, F. H., "A Machine Calculation Method for Hydrodynamic Problems," Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory report LAMS-1956 (November 1955). 1957 Evans, M. W. and Harlow, F. H., "The Particle-in-Cell Method for Hydrodynamic Calculations," Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory report LA-2139 (November 1957).

Harlow, F. H., "The Particle-in-Cell Method for Numerical Solution of Problems in Fluid Dynamics," Proc. Symp. Applied Mathematics 15, 269 (1963).

Butler, T. D., "Particle-in-Cell Fluid Dynamics on the IBM Stretch Machine," in "Proc. Computer Appl. Symp. 9th 1962," IIT Research Institute, Chicago, 1964.

Harlow, F. H., "The Particle-in-Cell Computing Method for Fluid Dynamics," in Methods in Computational Physics, Vol. 3, B. Alder, S. Fernbach, and M. Rotenberg, Eds. (Academic Press, New York, 1964).

Amsden, A. A., "The Particle-in-Cell Method for Calculation of the Dynamics of Compressible Fluids," Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory report LA-3466 (June 1966).

To obtain copies and for further references, look at the group T-3 web page,

http://gnarly.lanl.gov/Publications/Publications.html

Hope this is useful.

> Is it anyhow similar to CFD problems?

There is no such thing as a "CFD problem". Computational Fluid Dynamics, as the name suggests, is a computational _tool_ for solving fluid dynamics _problems_!

Particle-in-Cell is one methodology for discretizing the equations of fluid motion (Navier Stokes). So it is a CFD tool, just as finite volume, finite difference, finite element, boundary element, vortex element, and a host of other methods are.

Adrin Gharakhani

[thinks]

Originally Posted by Jim Park
;4310

PIC was invented by Dr. Frank Harlow at the Los Alamos National Lab in the 1950's. A few of the references:

A. The Particle-in-Cell Method: A combined Eulerian-Lagrangian computing method that is suitable for solving multimaterial problems involving large fluid distortions. 1955 Harlow, F. H., "A Machine Calculation Method for Hydrodynamic Problems," Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory report LAMS-1956 (November 1955). 1957 Evans, M. W. and Harlow, F. H., "The Particle-in-Cell Method for Hydrodynamic Calculations," Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory report LA-2139 (November 1957).

Harlow, F. H., "The Particle-in-Cell Method for Numerical Solution of Problems in Fluid Dynamics," Proc. Symp. Applied Mathematics 15, 269 (1963).

Butler, T. D., "Particle-in-Cell Fluid Dynamics on the IBM Stretch Machine," in "Proc. Computer Appl. Symp. 9th 1962," IIT Research Institute, Chicago, 1964.

Harlow, F. H., "The Particle-in-Cell Computing Method for Fluid Dynamics," in Methods in Computational Physics, Vol. 3, B. Alder, S. Fernbach, and M. Rotenberg, Eds. (Academic Press, New York, 1964).

Amsden, A. A., "The Particle-in-Cell Method for Calculation of the Dynamics of Compressible Fluids," Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory report LA-3466 (June 1966).

To obtain copies and for further references, look at the group T-3 web page,

http://gnarly.lanl.gov/Publications/Publications.html

Hope this is useful.

I cannot get the articles. Would you please transfer the article to me? thanks!