particle-in-cell (PIC) methods

Particle-in-cell (PIC) methods are computational techniques used to simulate plasma or charged particle systems. They combine tracking individual particles with solving electromagnetic fields on a grid. Particles’ positions and velocities are updated based on forces computed from the fields, which are in turn calculated from particle charges distributed onto the grid. This approach allows detailed modeling of how particles move and interact with fields, capturing complex behaviors like plasma dynamics or particle acceleration, making PIC essential for understanding many physical phenomena in physics and engineering.