Full particle-in-cell simulation of the formation and structure of a collisional plasma shock wave

Abstract

The formation and structure of a collisional shock wave in a fully ionized plasma is studied via full particle-in-cell simulations, which allows the complex momentum and energy transfer processes between different charged particles to be treated self-consistently. The kinetic energy of the plasma flow drifting towards a reflecting piston is found to be rapidly converted into thermal motion under the cooperative effects of ion-ion collisions, ion-electron collisions, and electric field charged-particle interactions. The subsequent shock evolution is influenced by the "precursor" ion beam before a quasisteady state is reached. The shock wave structure is then analyzed from a two-fluid transport viewpoint, which is found to be affected by "flux-limiting" electron transport, the nonthermal ions, and the charge separation electric field.