Current Deposition

PyPIC3D selects current deposition via simulation_parameters.current_calculation.

Available Methods

j_from_rhov

Computes current directly from particle velocities and deposited charge using a stencil deposition workflow.

Optional filtering is controlled by:

filter_j = "bilinear"   # bilinear, digital, none

• bilinear applies a tri-linear smoothing filter.

• digital applies a digital filter using constants.alpha.

• none leaves deposited current unfiltered.

esirkepov

Uses an Esirkepov-style charge-conserving deposition path and supports shape factors 1 and 2.

Practical Guidance

• Start with j_from_rhov for quick exploratory runs.

• Use esirkepov when tighter discrete charge conservation is needed.

• Keep shape_factor and filtering choices fixed when comparing runs.

Reference

Esirkepov, T. Z. (2001). Exact charge conservation scheme for particle-in-cell simulation with an arbitrary form-factor. Computer Physics Communications, 135(2), 144-153.