2023 , Volume 28, № 2, p.27-41

At present, the Boris method is mostly common for the numerical solution of problems of the dynamics of charged particles in electromagnetic fields. In recent years, new modifications of the Boris method have appeared that are capable to simplify, refine, or speed up calculations. However, despite the rather large number of publications which consider algorithms for calculating the trajectories of charged particles, new, more accurate and high-performance algorithms are desired. The article presents a detailed analysis of some explicit methods for solving the problem of the motion of charged particles in electromagnetic fields, which differ in how they set the average values of velocities. A new scheme based on an analytical solution, which has not been studied before, is proposed. For the Boris, Vay, Higuera – Cary schemes and the new VD1 scheme, a comparative analysis of the accuracy, convergence and counting time for the relativistic and nonrelativistic cases is carried out. In the nonrelativistic case, the new scheme allows accurate solving of the equations for motion of charged particles, and in the relativistic case, the accuracy of the new scheme remains higher compared to other schemes. As the relativistic factor increases, the accuracy of all considered schemes for calculating the trajectory of particles in an electromagnetic field decreases. For large values of the relativistic parameter, the new scheme is more accurate than the other schemes and retains the second order. In practical calculations, when particles can have different speeds, the scheme automatically adjusts to the given speed of the particle. The presented new scheme for calculating trajectories can be important for solving a wide range of problems in astrophysics and thermonuclear fusion, where high accuracy in determining particle trajectories in inhomogeneous fields for large moments of time is required.