Monte Carlo hybrid modeling of electron transport in laser produced plasmas

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Abstract
A new Monte Carlo hybrid scheme for the transport of electrons in laser produced plamas is described in detail. Comparison is made with alternate schemes. The hot electrons are followed as collisional particles‐in‐cell. The cold electrons are a donor‐cell fluid. The self‐consistent E field is computed approximately by either a moment method which seeks to establish quasi‐neutrality, or by plasma‐period dilation that stretches the local plasma period up to the time step. Application is made to the transport of laser driven electrons in foil‐like geometries. Results from a large number of computer simulations are used to confirm the quasi‐neutrality of the scheme, to demonstrate important aspects of the hot electron collisionality, to explore the influence of return current E fields from classical and ion‐acoustic resistivity, and finally, to examine the efficiency of transport inhibition from thermal convection in the presence of density dips. Attention is drawn to the need for an even more fundamental particle description for the thermals.