John Verboncoeur
- Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies
- College of Engineering
- Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering; Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering
- PhD, Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
- MS, Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
- BS, Engineering Science, University of Florida
- 428 S. Shaw Lane, Room 3410
- Engineering Building
- East Lansing, MI 48824
- 517.355.5133
- johnv@egr.msu.edu
Links
College of Engineering Research
Plasma Theory and Simulation Group
Current Research
The Plasma Theory and Simulation Group engages in theoretical and computational plasma physics research, including algorithm, model, and code development, with a broad range of applications. Their most recent, popular, and well-kept-up codes are on bounded plasma, plasma device codes XPDP1, XPDC1, XPDS1, and XPDP2. The P, C, and S mean planar, cylindrical, or spherical bounding electrodes; the 1 means 1d 3v and the 2 means 2d 3v. These are electrostatic, may have an applied magnetic field, use many particles (like hundreds to millions), particle-in-cell (PIC), and allow for collisions between the charged particles (electrons and ions, + or –) and the background neutrals (PCCMCC). The electrodes are connected by an external series R, L, C, source circuit, solved by Kirchhoff ’s laws simultaneously with the internal plasma solution (Poisson’s equation), The source may be V(t) or I(t), may include a ramp-up (in time). XPDP2 is planar in x, periodic in y, or fully bounded in (x, y), driven by one or two sources.
Expertise
Theoretical and computational plasma physics, with applications spanning from:
- Low temperature plasmas for lighting, thrusters and materials processing to hot plasmas for fusion
- Ultra-cold plasmas to particle accelerators
- Beams to pulsed power
- Intense kinetic nonequilibrium plasmas to high-power microwaves