Zhigang Pu, Kun Xu
The unified gas-kinetic wave-particle (UGKWP) method, developed for the multiscale simulation of partially ionised plasmas, is applied to model electromagnetic flows around a hemisphere spanning regimes from near-continuum to rarefied conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this study presents the first application of a multiscale plasma solver to such a problem. In the formulation, neutrals, ions and electrons are treated as distinct species. The numerical implementation is validated through comparisons with experimental data for a Mach 4.75 pre-ionised argon flow, where UGKWP results show close agreement with the experimental data. A further comparative study across different Knudsen numbers demonstrates that rarefaction effects weaken the influence of electromagnetic control. These findings highlight the capability of UGKWP in modelling electromagnetic control problems and underscore the significant role of rarefied effects in predicting flow-control behaviour, thereby emphasising the necessity of multiscale modelling in plasma flow applications.