KANDINSKY: a PIC code for fluid simulations of Penning traps

We present simulations of the nonlinear dynamics of a nonneutral plasma in a Penning trap. We use KANDINSKY, an advanced cylindrical particle-in-cell (PIC) code based on a new method that avoids the traditional problems of cylindrical PIC codes. The principal novelty resides in defining a particle volume in addition to the usual particle charge. Results from the two-dimensional drift-Poisson model and a recently developed model with compression effects are presented.