Time-dependent plasma codes are a natural extension of static nonequilibrium plasma codes. Comparing relevant timescales will determine whether or not time-dependent treatment is necessary. In this article I outline the ingredients for a time-dependent plasma code in a homogeneous medium and discuss the computational method. In the second half of the article I describe recombination in the early Universe as a detailed example of a problem whose solution requires a time-dependent plasma code.
Categories: astro-ph