Particle simulation of plasmas (ionized
gases) has become a powerful tool for in
vestigating the physics of this complex
state of matter, such as normal modes of
nonuniform plasmas, and nonlinear be
havior. Whereas much of this complex
behavior is difficult to measure experi
mentally, computer modeling can provide
detailed information to augment our un
derstanding of physical phenomena. We
describe the basic methods of particle
simulation and present a number of ex
amples that highlight applications of this
approach to plasma physics.
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