Covariant Guiding Center Equations for Charged Particle Motions in General Relativistic Spacetimes
Low-density plasmas in curved spacetimes, such as those found in accretion flows around black holes, are challenging to model from first principles, owing to the large separation in scale between the characteristic scales of the microscopic processes and large mean free paths comparable to the syste...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adbca8 |
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| author | Tyler Trent Karin Roley Matthew Golden Dimitrios Psaltis Feryal Özel |
| author_facet | Tyler Trent Karin Roley Matthew Golden Dimitrios Psaltis Feryal Özel |
| author_sort | Tyler Trent |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Low-density plasmas in curved spacetimes, such as those found in accretion flows around black holes, are challenging to model from first principles, owing to the large separation in scale between the characteristic scales of the microscopic processes and large mean free paths comparable to the system sizes. Kinetic approaches become necessary to capture the relevant physics but lack the dynamic range to model the global characteristics of the systems. In this paper, we develop new covariant guiding center equations of motion for charges in general relativistic spacetimes that are computationally tractable. We decompose the particle motion into a fast gyration, which we integrate analytically, and a slow drift of the guiding center, which can be solved numerically. We derive covariant conservation laws for the motions of the guiding centers and show, through several limiting cases, that the equations contain all known drift mechanisms. Finally, we present the general relativistic expressions for the various drift velocities in Schwarzschild spacetimes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ade0c28e432f43d29f2c2a1e87f2bae6 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-ade0c28e432f43d29f2c2a1e87f2bae62025-07-01T15:42:49ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01987110110.3847/1538-4357/adbca8Covariant Guiding Center Equations for Charged Particle Motions in General Relativistic SpacetimesTyler Trent0https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8116-3123Karin Roley1Matthew Golden2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3788-5485Dimitrios Psaltis3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1035-3240Feryal Özel4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4413-1523School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology , 837 State St NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA ; ttrent@arizona.edu; Departments of Astronomy and Physics, University of Arizona , 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USASchool of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology , 837 State St NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA ; ttrent@arizona.eduSchool of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology , 837 State St NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA ; ttrent@arizona.eduSchool of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology , 837 State St NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA ; ttrent@arizona.eduSchool of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology , 837 State St NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA ; ttrent@arizona.eduLow-density plasmas in curved spacetimes, such as those found in accretion flows around black holes, are challenging to model from first principles, owing to the large separation in scale between the characteristic scales of the microscopic processes and large mean free paths comparable to the system sizes. Kinetic approaches become necessary to capture the relevant physics but lack the dynamic range to model the global characteristics of the systems. In this paper, we develop new covariant guiding center equations of motion for charges in general relativistic spacetimes that are computationally tractable. We decompose the particle motion into a fast gyration, which we integrate analytically, and a slow drift of the guiding center, which can be solved numerically. We derive covariant conservation laws for the motions of the guiding centers and show, through several limiting cases, that the equations contain all known drift mechanisms. Finally, we present the general relativistic expressions for the various drift velocities in Schwarzschild spacetimes.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adbca8Plasma physicsPlasma astrophysicsGeneral relativityBlack holesAstrophysical black holes |
| spellingShingle | Tyler Trent Karin Roley Matthew Golden Dimitrios Psaltis Feryal Özel Covariant Guiding Center Equations for Charged Particle Motions in General Relativistic Spacetimes The Astrophysical Journal Plasma physics Plasma astrophysics General relativity Black holes Astrophysical black holes |
| title | Covariant Guiding Center Equations for Charged Particle Motions in General Relativistic Spacetimes |
| title_full | Covariant Guiding Center Equations for Charged Particle Motions in General Relativistic Spacetimes |
| title_fullStr | Covariant Guiding Center Equations for Charged Particle Motions in General Relativistic Spacetimes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Covariant Guiding Center Equations for Charged Particle Motions in General Relativistic Spacetimes |
| title_short | Covariant Guiding Center Equations for Charged Particle Motions in General Relativistic Spacetimes |
| title_sort | covariant guiding center equations for charged particle motions in general relativistic spacetimes |
| topic | Plasma physics Plasma astrophysics General relativity Black holes Astrophysical black holes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adbca8 |
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