High performance computing particle-in-cell simulation of RF plasmas for validation of optical diagnostic techniques

Particle-in-cell simulation package VORPAL, developed by the Tech-X Corporation, is used to simulate laboratory experiments investigating RF plasma sheaths. Experimental procedures on scaled down RF antenna systems at ORNL have been created to provide diagnostics of the nonlinear RF sheath that is formed over antenna, enabling spatial and temporal resolution of fields within the sheath. The primary technique involves a quasi-static approximation of the stark effect are used to probe the plasma antenna interface.