Note economising plasma simulation by total neglect of the displacement current

Attention is called to the advantages of neglecting the displacement current in allowing larger space and time steps in numerical models, thereby extending their application. It is pointed out that this eliminates light waves and the Langmuir mode from the model; since the electric field must no longer be calculated from the charge density (because the quasi-neutral approximation has been made) the Debye length does not enter the problem. It is believed that a total neglect of the displacement current is appropriate for a range of modeling projects. A hybrid plasma model that includes both fluid and kinetic electrons is examined.