A new method is presented to model the intermediate regime between col
lisionless and Coulomb collision dominated plasmas in particle-in-cell
codes. Collisional processes between particles of different species a
re treated through the concept of a grid-based ''collision field,'' wh
ich can be particularly efficient for multi-dimensional applications.
In this method, particles are scattered using a force which is determi
ned from the moments of the distribution functions accumulated on the
grid. The form of the force is such to reproduce the multi fluid trans
port equations through the second (energy) moment. Collisions between
particles of the same species require a separate treatment. For this,
a Monte Carte-like scattering method based on the Langevin equation is
used. The details of both methods are presented, and their implementa
tion in a new hybrid (particle ion, massless fluid electron) algorithm
is described. Aspects of the collision model are illustrated through
several one- and two-dimensional test problems as well as examples inv
olving laser produced colliding plasmas. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.