3D hybrid simulation code using curvilinear coordinates

A new simulation code using the hybrid approximation for modeling extraterrestrial plasma processes is described, which can be used in an arbitrary three-dimensional, ordered, hexahedral grid. Maxwell's equations are transformed using common tensor analysis and solved by a finite differencing scheme. A particle coalescing technique was adopted to account for differences in cell size. The numerical techniques and some results are presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).