Direct simulation Monte Carlo

Summary

Direct simulation Monte Carlo, or DSMC, is a Monte Carlo method for rarefied gas flows. It follows a large sample of simulated molecules, each representing many real ones. They move freely and collide at random with the statistics of the Boltzmann equation. It is the main tool when the Knudsen number is too large for continuum equations. Examples are the upper atmosphere, vacuum devices and microflows. The method was introduced by Graeme Bird in the 1960s. See the definition.