USim Quick Start: Getting Started with the USim Series of Computational ApplicationsΒΆ

Welcome to the USim series of computational applications, powered by the Ulixes computational engine. Ulixes is a general purpose fluid plasma modeling code that supports shock capturing methods for MHD, Hall MHD, Two-Fluid plasma, Navier Stokes, and Maxwell’s equations as well as multi-species, multi-temperature versions of the fluid systems mentioned. The equation systems can be solved on bodyfitted and unstructured grids in 1, 2, and 3 dimensions. Navier Stokes and MHD models allow for user specified equations of state along with the ability to use PROPACEOS tables (purchased from Prism Computational Sciences). USim has the ability to model the plasma device as part of a circuit. Recent applications of USim have included modeling merging plasma jets, laboratory accretion disk experiments, weakly ionized hypersonic flow modeling, magnetic nozzles and capillary discharges. USim is a multi-platform tool and runs on Windows, OS X, and Linux.

This manual, USim Quick Start, provides hands-on training for new users of the USim series of computational applications. It demonstrates how to carry out simulations using the USimComposer interface to the input files.

The USimComposer interface allows you to edit and validate your simulation input files, run simulations in either serial or parallel (thereby utilizing multiple cores or even computational nodes that do not share memory), and visualize results. USimComposer provides GUI editing of the main input variables of appropriately marked-up input files. However, one can still edit input files in any text editor, execute through the command line and visualize in any tool that understands the HDF5 output.

USim installation instructions are given in the document, Installation.

The subsequent sections provide examples that can be run through USimComposer. Each section is named for the USim package or module that is needed to run those examples. That is, the USimBase chapter contains the examples that can be run with a USimBase license, for example. All examples can be run with a full USim license.

After learning how to run the USim applications through USimComposer, you can turn to the manual, USim In Depth, to learn how to edit input files directly to create your own custom simulations. All input file blocks are specified in the manual, USim Reference Manual.