A Comparative Analysis of Relativistic Particle Pushers vis-\`a-vis Computation Time & Accuracy

Abstract

The performance of relativistic particle pushers has long been a topic of interest in the field of computational plasma physics, particularly from the point of view of the particle-in-cell approach. Previous works undertaken to compare such integrators have predominantly targeted the ultra-relativistic regime. In this paper, we utilize a custom-built code to study the core run-times of the Boris, the Vay, and the Higuera-Cary particle pushers for low-, high-, and ultra-relativistic particles. This is followed by a comparison of the three integrators in terms of accuracy and error. A fitness parameter is then proposed that can serve as a one-stop value to determine which method is more suitable for a particular simulation setup. It is hoped that through knowledge of such intricacies, the choice for the integrator will be easier to make depending on the problem at hand.