Finite-Difference Time-Domain simulation of magnetized cold plasmas

Electromagnetic (EM) interactions with cold plasma medium especially the magnetized one (e.g., the Earth's plasmarised ionosphere magnetized by the geomagnetic field), can be found in many geophysical activities. Seeking solutions of these problems often rely on accurate simulations of the complex EM behaviors in plasmas consisting of electrons, positive, and negative ions bearing an externally applied magnetic field with arbitrary direction and magnitude. To numerically simulate such a system utilizing the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method, a proper field arrangement in both space and time domain needs to be pre-defined. Spatially, the electric field E and current density J are usually always positioned at same locations to prevent the generation of spurious electrostatic wave, a purely numerically-originated non-physical wave that can destabilize the code at a later time. Temporally however, the E and J components can be either collocated or non-collocated depending on the specific simulation requirements.