A new asymptotic approximate model for the Vlasov-Maxwell equations

In this paper, we derive a new asymptotic approximation of the Vlasov-Maxwell equations. This formulation follows the beam in a speed-of-light frame. It is fourth order accurate in the small characteristic velocity of the beam. The formulation is simpler than standard particle-in-cell methods in the lab frame or in the beam frame. It promises to be very powerful in its ability to get an accurate, but fast and easy to implement algorithm.