Why is Boris algorithm so good?

Journal Article · Thu Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4818428· OSTI ID:22220706

Qin, Hong ^[1]; Zhang, Shuangxi; Xiao, Jianyuan; Liu, Jian ^[1]; Sun, Yajuan ^[2]; Tang, William M. ^[3]

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1. Department of Modern Physics and Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Fusion Energy and Plasma Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China)
2. LSEC, Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2719, Beijing 100190 (China)
3. Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States)

Due to its excellent long term accuracy, the Boris algorithm is the de facto standard for advancing a charged particle. Despite its popularity, up to now there has been no convincing explanation why the Boris algorithm has this advantageous feature. In this paper, we provide an answer to this question. We show that the Boris algorithm conserves phase space volume, even though it is not symplectic. The global bound on energy error typically associated with symplectic algorithms still holds for the Boris algorithm, making it an effective algorithm for the multi-scale dynamics of plasmas.

• OSTI ID: 22220706
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 20, Issue 8; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCURACY
ALGORITHMS
CHARGED PARTICLES
COLLISIONS
ERRORS
PHASE SPACE
PLASMA
PLASMA SIMULATION