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Changelog

v2.7.0 (2026-03)

New Features

Apple Silicon Metal GPU backend (warpx-metal) - runner/metal_runner.py: Native Metal GPU runner integrating warpx-metal — discovers the build, generates/adapts WarpX inputs, launches the SYCL/Metal 2D executable, and parses AMReX plotfile diagnostics - WarpXMetalInfo, WarpXMetalDiag, MetalRunResult dataclasses with .summary() methods - find_diag_dirs(): discovers and sorts all AMReX diag*/ snapshots under an output directory - WarpXMetalDiag.read_fields(): assembles multi-box AMReX FAB tiles into full-domain NumPy arrays (handles 512×256 domains split into 8 tiles via Cell_H + Cell_D_00000) - generate_metal_inputs(): generates validated 2D pair-plasma input files for standalone Metal runs - run_warpx_metal(): launches the warpx.2d.NOMPI.SYCL.SP.PSP.EB executable with live tqdm progress bar (streams stdout line-by-line, parses STEP N ends)

_adapt_inputs_for_metal() in runner/launch.py — transparent RZ→2D Cartesian adapter: - geometry.dims = RZ → geometry.dims = 2, coord_sys = 1 → 0 - Removes openPMD format specifiers (Metal build has no openPMD) - Maps RZ field names (Br/Er/jr/Bt/Et/jt) → Cartesian (Bx/Ex/jx/By/Ey/jy) - Forces periodic boundaries (PML kernels trigger AdaptiveCpp Metal JIT t_badref_ bug) - Reduces num_particles_per_cell to 2×2; caps max_step at 500 (override: HELICON_METAL_MAX_STEP) - Domain symmetrisation: (z, r≥0) → (z, x∈[-r_max, r_max]) - Injects required fields missing from pywarpx-style inputs (algo.particle_shape, etc.)

Hardware & CLI improvements - hardware_config.py: HardwareInfo now reports has_warpx_metal, warpx_metal_exe_2d, recommended_backend = "metal" on Apple Silicon with build detected - doctor.py: DoctorReport gains warpx_metal_found / warpx_metal_path; helicon doctor prints a Metal section - run_simulation() auto-selects Metal backend before pywarpx; shows live tqdm bar - CLI helicon run failure now prints backend, returncode, error string, and log path

Bug Fixes

  • WarpXMetalDiag.species: now scans particle subdirectories (not WarpXHeader text)
  • WarpXMetalDiag.n_cells: AMReX box formula corrected (hi − lo + 1 per dimension)
  • WarpXMetalDiag.read_fields(): multi-box FAB assembly via Cell_H byte offsets — fixes ValueError: buffer size must be a multiple of element size
  • run_warpx_metal(): resolves output_dir to absolute path (was passing relative path → SIGABRT)
  • perf/profiler.py: replaced psutil with /proc/meminfo → os.sysconf fallback (Linux CI)

CI / tooling

  • Added ruff format --check to CI; formatted all source files

v0.4.0 (2026-03)

New Features

Optimization & Constraints (v0.3 completion) - optimize/constraints.py: Engineering constraint evaluation for coil optimization — mass budget, resistive power, peak B at conductor, MLX-differentiable penalty wrapper - optimize/pareto.py: Multi-objective Pareto front with hypervolume indicator - optimize/analytical.py: Fast Tier-1 analytical pre-screening (Breizman-Arefiev paraxial model, Little-Choueiri thrust coefficient) - runner/convergence.py: Grid convergence study automation with Richardson extrapolation - runner/batch.py: Batch simulation submission (local multiprocessing, SLURM, PBS) - runner/checkpoints.py: WarpX checkpoint management and restart utilities - fields/cache.py: HDF5 field map cache (avoids recomputing Biot-Savart) - fields/frc_topology.py: FRC separatrix identification and field line topology classification

Plasma Models - PlasmaSourceConfig.electron_model: "kinetic" (default) or "fluid" hybrid electron model - PlasmaSourceConfig.mass_ratio: Reduced mass ratio support with citation-guard warning - WarpX generator: proper electron mass override, fluid-hybrid parameters

Validation & Output - Validation case: VASIMR VX-200 plume (Olsen et al. 2015) - Validation case: Resistive detachment threshold (Moses 1991 / Dimov 2005) - validate/report.py: Comparison plots and HTML validation report - postprocess/propbench.py: PropBench-compatible JSON output schema - postprocess/report.py: save_scan_csv() for parameter scan export

Community & Infrastructure - CITATION.cff: Machine-readable citation metadata - CONTRIBUTING.md: Contributor guide - Dockerfile: Reproducible container build - environment.yml: Conda lock environment - mkdocs.yml: Documentation site configuration

Version bump

  • Version: 0.2.0 → 0.4.0

v0.3.0 (2026-02)

New Features

  • optimize/scan.py: Grid and Latin Hypercube parameter scans
  • optimize/surrogate.py: GP surrogate with Bayesian optimizer (Expected Improvement)
  • optimize/sensitivity.py: Sobol sensitivity analysis (Saltelli 2010)
  • optimize/objectives.py: MLX-differentiable coil optimization objectives
  • fields/import_external.py: FEMM .ans and CSV B-field import
  • CLI: helicon scan command

v0.2.0 (2026-01)

New Features

  • postprocess/detachment.py: Three-definition detachment efficiency
  • postprocess/plume.py: Plume divergence angle and beam efficiency
  • postprocess/pulsed.py: Pulsed-mode impulse bit diagnostics
  • postprocess/fieldline_classify.py: Open/closed field line topology
  • Validation cases: Merino-Ahedo (2016), MN1D comparison
  • Preset configs: sunbird.yaml, dfd.yaml, ppr.yaml

v0.1.0 (2025-12)

Initial Release

  • fields/biot_savart.py: Biot-Savart solver (MLX + NumPy backends, HDF5 save/load)
  • config/parser.py: Pydantic YAML configuration schema
  • config/warpx_generator.py: WarpX input file generation
  • runner/launch.py: WarpX simulation execution
  • postprocess/thrust.py: Momentum flux thrust computation
  • Validation cases: free expansion, guiding center orbit
  • CLI: helicon run, helicon postprocess, helicon validate