On the derivation of guiding center dynamics without coordinate dependence

TL;DR

This paper develops a coordinate-free geometric framework for guiding center dynamics, avoiding issues with gyro-phase averaging in complex magnetic topologies, and provides a new, more intrinsic description of charged particle motion.

Contribution

It introduces a geometric, coordinate-free derivation of guiding center dynamics using a Lagrangian one-form, enhancing understanding beyond traditional gyro-phase averaging methods.

Findings

Derived a coordinate-free expression for guiding center motion.

Provided a geometric decomposition of the Lagrangian one-form.

Applicable to time-dependent, slow-varying electromagnetic fields.

Abstract

The fundament of the classical guiding center theory is gyro-phase averaging, which cannot be well defined over a non-trivial magnetic field topology. The local gyro-phase coordinate frame hides the geometric nature of gyro-symmetry. A coordinate-free geometric representation should be a more appropriate alternative for a deeper understanding of the guiding center dynamics. In this paper, the motion of a charged particle is described by a Lagrangian one-form on a seven-dimensional phase space. The Lagrangian one-form is geometrically decomposed by constructing a coordinate-free gyro-averaging method. As a result, we obtain the coordinate-free expression of the non-relativistic guiding-center dynamics in the time-dependent slow-varying electromagnetic field.