Variational Symplectic Integrator for Long-Time Simulations of the Guiding-Center Motion of Charged Particles in General Magnetic Fields
Authors: H. Qin and X. Guan
Abstract:
A variational symplectic integrator for the guiding-center motion of charged particles in general magnetic fields is developed for long-time simulation studies of magnetized plasmas. Instead of discretizing the differential equations of the guiding-center motion, the action of the guiding-center motion is discretized and minimized to obtain the iteration rules for advancing the dynamics. The variational symplectic integrator conserves exactly a discrete Lagrangian symplectic structure, and has better numerical properties over long integration time, compared with standard integrators, such as the standard and variable time-step fourth order Runge-Kutta methods.
__________________________________________________
Published in: PRL 100, 035006 (2008) 4 pp
doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.035006
© (2008) The American Physical Society.
This article may be downloaded for personal use only.
Any other use requires prior permission of the author
and the The American Physical Society.
__________________________________________________
Download PPPL-4286 (pdf 589 Kb)
__________________________________________________