Numerical simulations of plasmas for applications

等离子体在现代社会有着广泛的科学和实际应用，包括天体物理、纳米制造、核聚变、医疗器械的灭菌、表面功能化、家庭照明等。众所周知，等离子体是非常复杂的，因为几种粒子之间的相互作用，包括正负电荷的离子、原子、分子、自由基、电子、光子和最终的纳米粒子，以及它对自感和外部电磁场(包括激光场)的高响应性。特别是，由于电子质量小，通常具有复杂的能量分布，但知道这对于量化发生在等离子体中的大多数关键过程是必不可少的。正因为如此，数值模拟一直是等离子体物理的一个内在和必不可少的组成部分。这项研究计划旨在进一步发展数值等离子体物理的几个方面。例如，这项研究的好处将包括了解(1)非平衡等离子体放电，与平衡等离子体相比，非平衡等离子体放电显示出独特的性质，并有可能在各种应用中被利用；(2)在磁化等离子体中产生纳米粒子，用于天体物理和核聚变应用。这项研究计划将是在这一迷人的研究领域培养高素质人才的独特机会。

Plasmas have vary wide range of scientific and practical applications in our modern societies, including astrophysics, nanofabrication, nuclear fusion, sterilization of medical instruments, surface funtionalization, home lighting, etc. Plasmas are known to be very complex due to the interaction between several particle species, including positively and negatively charged ions, atoms, molecules, radicals, electrons, photons, and eventually nanoparticles, and to its high responsivity to self-induced and external electromagnetic fields, including laser fields. In particular, electrons, due to their small mass, generally have a complicated energy distribution but knowing it is essential to quantify most critical processes taking place in plasmas. For this reason, numerical modeling has always been an intrinsic and essential component of plasma physics. This research program aims at developing further several aspects of numerical plasma physics. The benefits of this research will include, for example, understanding (i) non-equilibrium plasma discharges, which exhibit distinctive properties compared to equilibrium plasmas and which can potentially be exploited in various applications, and (ii) the generation of nanoparticles in magnetized plasmas for applications in astrophysics and nuclear fusion. This research program will be a unique opportunity to train highly qualified personnel in this fascinating field of study.