PPFM (Plasma Properties For Many): An object oriented C++ library for computing thermodynamic and transport properties of plasmas under different operating conditions
Description
Accurate modeling of thermal and non-thermal plasma systems requires reliable thermodynamic and transport properties, which are often difficult to measure or unavailable for many plasma mixtures and operating conditions. These quantities have a strong influence on the predictive quality of simulations. Current methods to compute these quantities for modeling may often lack the physical consistency required for high-fidelity applications, and computing them from very first principles can be cumbersome as they are the result of a complex problem that has to be systematically addressed. To overcome current challenges in computing plasma properties, we present PPFM (Plasma Properties For Many), an open-source C++ library for the computation of plasma thermodynamic and transport properties in both local and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium, LTE and NLTE, respectively. PPFM combines well-established theoretical models with a modular and advanced object-oriented architecture designed for flexibility, extensibility and scalability while ensuring minimal and intuitive user inputs. PPFM offers a promising reference platform to address thermodynamic and transport properties determinations, starting from very basic physical principles and microscopic properties, to compute macroscopic quantities.