Nonlinear gyrokinetic theory for finite-beta plasmas

A self-consistent and energy-conserving set of nonlinear gyrokinetic equations, consisting of the averaged Vlasov and Maxwell’s equations for finite-beta plasmas, is derived. The method utilized in the present investigation is based on the Hamiltonian formalism and Lie transformation. The resulting formulation is valid for arbitrary values of k⊥ρi and, therefore, is most suitable for studying linear and nonlinear evolution of microinstabilities in tokamak plasmas as well as other areas of plasma physics where the finite Larmor radius effects are important. Because the underlying Hamiltonian structure is preserved in the present formalism, these equations are directly applicable to numerical studies based on the existing gyrokinetic particle simulation techniques.