On the timescales in the chaotic dynamics of a 4D symplectic map.

In this work, we investigate different timescales of chaotic dynamics in a multi-parametric 4D symplectic map. We compute the Lyapunov time and a macroscopic timescale, the instability time, for a wide range of values of the system's parameters and many different ensembles of initial conditions in resonant domains. The instability time is obtained by plain numerical simulations and by its estimates from the diffusion time, which we derive in three different ways: through a normal and an anomalous diffusion law and by the Shannon entropy, whose formulation is briefly revisited. A discussion about which of the four approaches provide reliable values of the timescale for a macroscopic instability is addressed. The relationship between the Lyapunov time and the instability time is revisited and studied for this particular system where in some cases, an exponential or polynomial law has been observed. The main conclusion of the present research is that only when the dynamical system behaves as a nearly ergodic one such relationship arises and the Lyapunov and instability times are global timescales, independent of the position in phase space. When stability regions prevent the free diffusion, no correlations between both timescales are observed, they are local and depend on both the position in phase space and the perturbation strength. In any case, the instability time largely exceeds the Lyapunov time. Thus, when the system is far from nearly ergodic, the timescale for predictable dynamics is given by the instability time, being the Lyapunov time its lower bound.

Estimation of diffusion time with the Shannon entropy approach.

The present work revisits and improves the Shannon entropy approach when applied to the estimation of an instability timescale for chaotic diffusion in multidimensional Hamiltonian systems. This formulation has already been proved efficient in deriving the diffusion timescale in 4D symplectic maps and planetary systems, when the diffusion proceeds along the chaotic layers of the resonance's web. Herein the technique is used to estimate the diffusion rate in the Arnold model, i.e., of the motion along the homoclinic tangle of the so-called guiding resonance for several values of the perturbation parameter such that the overlap of resonances is almost negligible. Thus differently from the previous studies, the focus is fixed on deriving a local timescale related to the speed of an Arnold diffusion-like process. The comparison of the current estimates with determinations of the diffusion time obtained by straightforward numerical integration of the equations of motion reveals a quite good agreement.

Diffusion and Lyapunov timescales in the Arnold model.

In the present work, we focus on two dynamical timescales in the Arnold Hamiltonian model: the Lyapunov time and the diffusion time when the system is confined to the stochastic layer of its dominant resonance (guiding resonance). Following Chirikov's formulation, the model is revisited, and a discussion about the main assumptions behind the analytical estimates for the diffusion rate is given. On the other hand, and in line with Chirikov's ideas, theoretical estimations of the Lyapunov time are derived. Later on, three series of numerical experiments are presented for various sets of values of the model parameters, where both timescales are computed. Comparisons between the analytical estimates and the numerical determinations are provided whenever the parameters are not too large, and those cases are in fact in agreement. In particular, the case in which both parameters are equal is numerically investigated. Relationships between the diffusion time and the Lyapunov time are established, like an exponential law or a power law in the case of large values of the parameters.

Stochastic approach to diffusion inside the chaotic layer of a resonance.

We model chaotic diffusion in a symplectic four-dimensional (4D) map by using the result of a theorem that was developed for stochastically perturbed integrable Hamiltonian systems. We explicitly consider a map defined by a free rotator (FR) coupled to a standard map (SM). We focus on the diffusion process in the action I of the FR, obtaining a seminumerical method to compute the diffusion coefficient. We study two cases corresponding to a thick and a thin chaotic layer in the SM phase space and we discuss a related conjecture stated in the past. In the first case, the numerically computed probability density function for the action I is well interpolated by the solution of a Fokker-Planck (FP) equation, whereas it presents a nonconstant time shift with respect to the concomitant FP solution in the second case suggesting the presence of an anomalous diffusion time scale. The explicit calculation of a diffusion coefficient for a 4D symplectic map can be useful to understand the slow diffusion observed in celestial mechanics and accelerator physics.