Explicit high-order symplectic integrators for charged particles in general electromagnetic fields

Abstract

This article considers non-relativistic charged particle dynamics in both static and non-static electromagnetic fields, which are governed by nonseparable, possibly time-dependent Hamiltonians. For the first time, explicit symplectic integrators of arbitrary high-orders are constructed for accurate and efficient simulations of such mechanical systems. Performances superior to the standard non-symplectic method of Runge–Kutta are demonstrated on two examples: the first is on the confined motion of a particle in a static toroidal magnetic field used in tokamak; the second is on how time-periodic perturbations to a magnetic field inject energy into a particle via parametric resonance at a specific frequency.