A new radiation reaction approximation for particle dynamics in the strong field regime

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Context. Following particle trajectories in the intense electromagnetic field of a neutron star is prohibited by the large ratio between the cyclotron frequency ωB and the stellar rotation frequency Ω. No fully kinetic simulations on a macroscopic scale and with realistic field strengths have been performed so far due to the huge computational cost implied by this enormous scale of separation. Aims. In this paper, we derive new expressions for the particle velocity subject to strong radiation reaction that are intended to be more accurate than the current state-of-the-art expression in the radiation reaction limit regime, the so-called Aristotelian regime. Methods. We shortened the timescale hierarchy by solving the particle equation of motion in the radiation reaction regime, where the Lorentz force is always and immediately balanced by the radiative drag, and including a friction not necessarily opposite to the velocity vector, as derived in the Landau-Lifshitz approximation. Results. Starting from the reduced Landau-Lifshitz equation (i.e., neglecting the field time derivatives), we found expressions for the velocity depending only on the local electromagnetic field configuration and on a new parameter related to the field strength that controls the strength of the radiative damping. As an example, we imposed a constant Lorentz factor γ during the particle motion. We found that for ultra-relativistic velocities satisfying γ ≳ 10, the difference between strong radiation reaction and the radiation reaction limit becomes negligible. Conclusions. The new velocity expressions produce results similar in accuracy to the radiation reaction limit approximation. We therefore do not expect this new method to improve the accuracy of neutron star magnetosphere simulations. The radiation reaction limit is a simple but accurate, robust, and efficient way to follow ultra-relativistic particles in a strong electromagnetic field.