Study of the generation of a charge separation and electric field at a plasma edge using Eulerian Vlasov codes in cylindrical geometry

A one-dimensional (1D) Eulerian Vlasov code in cylindrical geometry is used to study the problem of the formation of a charge separation at a plasma edge, together with the self-consistent electric field, in the presence of a density gradient. The code applies a method of fractional steps for the solution of the Vlasov equation. The electric field calculated along the gradient is compared with the macroscopic values calculated from the same kinetic code for the gradient of the ion pressure and the Lorentz force term. We find that these quantities balance the electric field fairly well along the gradient. The extension of this method to a two-dimensional (2D) problem will be presented, together with the corresponding results. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.