IFS Qualifying Exam

Abstract: Perturbative guiding center theory (PGCT) describes the slow drift of strongly magnetized charged particles. These particles are found in various magnetic fusion devices, such as stellarators and tokamaks. Nonetheless, PGCT breaks down for high-energy charged particles.

In this talk, I present a non-perturbative, data-driven method for guiding center theory. I show that this model significantly outperforms traditional asymptotic theory in magnetization regimes relevant to fusion-born α-particles in stellarators, thus opening the door to non-perturbative guiding center calculations.