Documentation for bolos

BOLOS is a BOLtzmann equation solver Open Source library.

This package provides a pure Python library for the solution of the Boltzmann equation for electrons in a non-thermal plasma. It builds upon previous work, mostly by G. J. M. Hagelaar and L. C. Pitchford [HP2005], who developed BOLSIG+. BOLOS is a multiplatform, open source implementation of a similar algorithm compatible with the BOLSIG+ cross-section input format.

The code was developed by Alejandro Luque at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA), CSIC and is released under the LGPLv2 License. Packages can be downloaded from the project homepage on PyPI. The source code can be obtained from GitHub, which also hosts the bug tracker. The documentation can be read on ReadTheDocs.

Contents:

• 1. Tutorial
  • 1.1. Installation
  • 1.2. First steps
  • 1.3. Loading cross-sections
  • 1.4. Setting the conditions
  • 1.5. Obtaining the EEDF
  • 1.6. Calculating transport coefficients and reaction rates
  • 1.7. Learn more
• 2. Frequently Asked Questions
  • 2.1. Why another Boltzmann solver?
  • 2.2. Why did you use Python?
  • 2.3. What version(s) of Python does BOLOS support?
  • 2.4. Can BOLOS read cross-sections in BOLSIG+ format?
  • 2.5. How fast is BOLOS?
  • 2.6. Are results the same as with BOLSIG+?
  • 2.7. Feature X is not implemented: what can I do?
  • 2.8. If I use BOLOS for my research, which paper should I cite?
• 3. Bolos API reference
  • 3.1. The solver Module
  • 3.2. The grid Module
  • 3.3. The parser Module

Indices and tables

• Index
• Module Index
• Search Page

[HP2005]

Solving the Boltzmann equation to obtain electron transport coefficients and rate coefficients for fluid models, G. J. M. Hagelaar and L. C. Pitchford, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 14 (2005) 722–733.