A Monte-Carlo method for coulomb collisions in hybrid plasma models

A procedure for implementing Coulomb collisions into hybrid (particle-fluid) plasma models is outlined which is rapid in execution due to the use of approximate expressions for the collision integrals and conserves energy and momentum exactly. Particles undergo dynamic friction and diffusion in velocity-space at rates consistent with the velocity-dependent Fokker-Planck diffusion coefficients and there are no assumptions made about the shape or size of the particle distribution function. The method is tested against the analytical theory of test particle slowing in a background plasma and the thermal equilibration of a Maxwellian distribution. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.