Non-perturbative guiding center model for magnetized plasmas

TL;DR

This paper introduces a data-driven non-perturbative guiding center model for magnetized plasmas that outperforms traditional perturbative methods, especially for high-energy particles relevant in fusion devices.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel data-driven approach to develop a non-perturbative guiding center model, extending beyond traditional perturbative theories for plasma particle dynamics.

Findings

Data-driven model outperforms asymptotic theory for high-energy particles

Model accurately describes particle motion in fusion-relevant regimes

Enables non-perturbative calculations for plasma simulations

Abstract

Perturbative guiding center theory adequately describes the slow drift motion of charged particles in the strongly-magnetized regime characteristic of thermal particle populations in various magnetic fusion devices. However, it breaks down for particles with large enough energy. We report on a data-driven method for learning a non-perturbative guiding center model from full-orbit particle simulation data. We show the data-driven model significantly outperforms traditional asymptotic theory in magnetization regimes appropriate for fusion-born $\alpha$-particles in stellarators, thus opening the door to non-perturbative guiding center calculations.