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Chaotic scattering and acceleration of particles by waves
1Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030.
Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.)
|October 1, 1993
Summary
Charged particles can be accelerated limitlessly in magnetic fields and traveling waves. This chaotic scattering process reveals unique properties in multi-wave systems, including transient chaos.
Area of Science:
- Plasma physics
- Nonlinear dynamics
- Particle acceleration
Background:
- Charged particles in uniform magnetic fields can be accelerated by large-amplitude traveling waves.
- The underlying dynamics can be complex and exhibit chaotic behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the chaotic scattering of relativistic charged particles interacting with multiple traveling waves.
- To analyze the properties of the resulting dynamical map.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a Hamiltonian system describing particle dynamics.
- Development of an explicit map for multi-wave interactions.
- Examination of phase space structure and orbital properties.
Main Results:
- Limitless acceleration of charged particles is possible.
- The multi-wave system generates a map with unusual properties, including infinite island chains.
- The system serves as an example of transient chaos in Hamiltonian mechanics.
Conclusions:
- Chaotic scattering on waves provides a framework for understanding particle acceleration.
- The discovered map and transient chaos highlight novel features in nonlinear dynamics.