Abstract
This paper addresses the question of how chaotic scattering arises and evolves as a system parameter is continuously varied starting from a value for which the scattering is regular (i.e., not chaotic). Our results show that the transition from regular to chaotic scattering can occur via a saddle-center bifurcation, with further qualitative changes in the chaotic set resulting from a sequence of homoclinic and heteroclinic intersections. We also show that a state of "fully developed" chaotic scattering can be reached in our system through a process analogous to the formation of a Smale horseshoe. By fully developed chaotic scattering, we mean that the chaotic-invariant set is hyperbolic, and we find for our problem that all bounded orbits can be coded by a full shift on three symbols. Observable consequences related to qualitative changes in the chaotic set are also discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 7025-7040 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Physical Review A |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 15 Dec 1990 |
Keywords
- irregular scattering
- potential scattering
- vortex pairs
- systems