Power Modeling Using Perseus Extended-MHD Simulation Code For Hed Plasmas*

We discuss the use of the PERSEUS extended-MHD simulation code for high-energy-density (HED) plasmas in modeling power flow in coaxial transmission lines and in the Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) experiment at Sandia National Labs. By formulating the fluid equations as a relaxation system in which the current is semi-implicitly time-advanced using the Generalized Ohm’s Law (GOL), PERSEUS enables modeling of two-fluid phenomena in dense plasmas without the need to resolve the smallest electron length and time scales. We find that Hall physics is required in order to model differences arising from plasma initialization against the cathode versus anode. In particular, compared to cathode initialization, substantially greater current losses result from anode-initialized plasma, for which electron ExB drift currents produce filaments streaming away from the anode. The MagLIF results exhibit sensitivity to the treatment of the vacuum and low-density regions, which is improved by Hall physics but remains an unsolved problem in fluid modeling.