Three-dimensional electrodynamic code ELF

The paper is devoted to the description of the three-dimensional ELF code developed in RFNC-VNIITF. This code is intended to simulate the problems of electrodynamics, plasma physics, acceleration of electrons and ions on laser and electrophysical facilities. The code is based on solving the Vlasov kinetic equation and the Maxwell equations system. To solve the Vlasov equations, the method of particles in cells is used. An explicitly finite difference scheme of the second order of accuracy is used to solve the Maxwell equations. A set of analytical tests (propagation of plane electromagnetic wave in plasma, motion of an electron in electric and magnetic fields, etc.) is given and a good agreement of the numerical solution with them is shown. The order of convergence of the numerical algorithms also determined. The calculations of the accelerated electrons in plasma wakefield are presented, and the results of comparison with experiment for the parameters for the laser facility of RFNC-VNIITF are demonstrated. (paper)