On the Boris solver in particle-in-cell simulation

TL;DR

This paper introduces an improved Boris solver for particle-in-cell simulations that offers better accuracy and phase space volume preservation, with minimal additional computational cost, enhancing the stability and precision of plasma simulations.

Contribution

It presents a new form of the Boris solver using an exact Lorentz-force solution, improving accuracy while maintaining computational efficiency.

Findings

The new Boris solver form achieves higher accuracy in simulations.

It preserves phase space volume, enhancing stability.

Numerical tests confirm improved performance over traditional methods.

Abstract

A simple form of the Boris solver in particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation is proposed. It employs an exact solution of the Lorentz-force part, and it is equivalent to the Boris solver with a gyrophase correction. As a favorable property for stable schemes, this form preserves a volume in the phase space. Numerical tests of the Boris solvers are conducted by test-particle simulations and by PIC simulations. The proposed form provides better accuracy than the popular form, while it only requires few additional computation time.