A relativistic canonical symplectic particle-in-cell method for energetic plasma analysis

A relativistic canonical symplectic particle-in-cell (RCSPIC) method for simulating energetic plasma processes is established. By use of the Hamiltonian for the relativistic Vlasov–Maxwell system, we obtain a discrete relativistic canonical Hamiltonian dynamical system, based on which the RCSPIC method is constructed by applying the symplectic temporal discrete method. Through a 10⁶-step numerical test, the RCSPIC method is proven to possess long-term energy stability. The ability to calculate energetic plasma processes is shown by simulations of the reflection processes of a high-energy laser (1×10²⁰Wcm⁻²) on the plasma edge.