ATOMIC AND PLASMA PHYSICS SOFTWARE AND DATABASES FOR THE SIMULATION OF SHORT WAVELENGTH SOURCES

A large variety of software has been developed for numerical simulations of plasma radiation emission and transport and the design of optics. Many of these codes are not specifically for short wavelengths but they can be helpful in the design of X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) sources. The astrophysics community has written codes to study the spectra and evolution of stars and gas clouds while civilian and military applicants of atomic processes were aware very early of the need for atomic, plasma and hydrodynamic software to simulate nuclear fission and fusion and their effects. Of more relevance to low cost EUV sources, the large synchrotron community has also generated efficient tools for the simulation of radiation from electrons and the design of short wavelength optics. The present intention is not to present all the available software, since resources such as Computer Physics Communications and Plasma Gate give much more comprehensive, if never complete, reviews. Instead, some of the more popular programs will be introduced, as they are proven and tested assistance is available from experienced users. The software may be downloaded from the web sites listed in the references; registration is sometimes required.