A fully implicit numerical integration of the relativistic particle equation of motion

Relativistic strongly magnetized plasmas are produced in laboratories thanks to state-of-the-art laser technology but can naturally be found around compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes. Detailed studies of the behaviour of relativistic plasmas require accurate computations able to catch the full spatial and temporal dynamics of the system. Numerical simulations of ultra-relativistic plasmas face severe restrictions due to limitations in the maximum possible Lorentz factors that current algorithms can reproduce to good accuracy. In order to circumvent this flaw and repel the limit to γ ≈ 10⁹, we design a new fully implicit scheme to solve the relativistic particle equation of motion in an external electromagnetic field using a three-dimensional Cartesian geometry. We show some examples of numerical integrations in constant electromagnetic fields to prove the efficiency of our algorithm. The code is also able to follow the electric drift motion for high Lorentz factors. In the most general case of spatially and temporally varying electromagnetic fields, the code performs extremely well, as shown by comparison with exact analytical solutions for the relativistic electrostatic Kepler problem as well as for linearly and circularly polarized plane waves.