Magnetic reconnection in laser-driven plasmas: from astrophysics to the laboratory in silico

Samuel Totorica, Ohio Supercomputer Center

Usage Details

Using the state-of-the-art, massively parallel particle-in-cell code OSIRIS, Totorica will perform ab initio simulations of magnetic reconnection in laboratory laser-driven plasmas. Employing heterogeneous programming, he will implement a novel force calculation algorithm in OSIRIS through a multidisciplinary approach involving aspects of dark matter simulations, applied math, and computational geometry. The new algorithm will allow him to model realistic experimental systems while still resolving microscale physics, enabling an unprecedented investigation of the interplay between the different scales and physics regimes. These simulations will be used to guide laboratory astrophysics experimental programs, and shed light on cosmic ray acceleration.