Modeling transport in weakly collisional plasmas using thermodynamic forcing

Researchers have developed a novel "thermodynamic forcing" method to systematically model how macroscopic gradients influence particle distribution functions in magnetized and unmagnetized plasmas.

This technique addresses the challenge of understanding transport in weakly collisional plasmas, where macroscopic gradients significantly impact microphysical structures.

The method involves applying an anomalous force to particles, simulating the anisotropy that arises from macroscopic gradients in plasmas where thermal pressure dominates magnetic pressure. It has been implemented and validated in particle-in-cell simulations.