arXiv: Mathematical Physics | 2019
Guiding center dynamics as motion on a slow manifold in loop space
Abstract
Since the late 1950 s, the dynamics of a charged particle s ``guiding center in a strong, inhomogeneous magnetic field have been understood in terms of near-identity coordinate transformations. The basic idea has been to approximately transform away the coupling between the fast gyration around magnetic fields lines and the remaining slow dynamics. This basic understanding now serves as a foundation for describing the kinetic theory of strongly magnetized plasmas. I present a new way to understand guiding center dynamics that does not involve complicated coordinate transformations. Starting from a dynamical systems formulation of the motion of parameterized loops in a charged particle s phase space, I identify a slow manifold in loop space. Dynamics on this slow manifold are equivalent to guiding center dynamics to all orders in perturbation theory. After demonstrating that loop space dynamics comprises an infinite-dimensional noncanonical Hamiltonian system, I recover the well-known Hamiltonian formulation of guiding center motion by restricting the (pre-) symplectic structure on loop space to the finite-dimensional guiding center slow manifold.