Python 1D Electromagnetic PIC Simulator as a Tool for Studying Plasma Physics

1D electrostatic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations are often used in introductory plasma physics courses to demonstrate wave propagations in plasma and the development of instabilities. These codes, however, are not always accessible to the students. Many of them are written in languages which the students may not be familiar with, such as Fortran or IDL. Moreover, they often are purely electrostatic, incapable of demonstrating electromagnetic effects such as the whistler mode or Alfven waves.
We have developed a 1D electromagnetic PIC simulator written entirely in Python, a popular programming language in which many students have had experience. We will demonstrate how the program can be used in plasma physics classes by coming up with sample problems and solving them using the program. The main goal is to use the program and the sample problems in a future plasma physics class.