Comment on "Geometric phase of the gyromotion for charged particles in a time-dependent magnetic field" [Phys. Plasmas 18, 072505 (2011)]

The geometric analysis of the gyromotion for charged particles in a time-dependent magnetic field by J. Liu and H. Qin [Phys. Plasmas 18, 072505 (2011)] is reformulated in terms of the spatial angles that represent the instantaneous orientation of the magnetic field. This new formulation, which includes the equation of motion for the pitch angle, clarifies the decomposition of the gyroangle-averaged equation of motion for the gyrophase into its dynamic and geometric contributions.