Channeling Chaos by Building Barriers

Abstract

Chaotic diffusion often represents a severe obstacle for the setup of experiments, e.g., in fusion plasmas or particle accelerators. We present a complete test of a method of control of Hamiltonian chaos, with both its numerical test and its first experimental realization on a paradigm for wave-particle interaction, i.e., a travelling wave tube. The core of our approach is a small apt modification of the system which channels chaos by building barriers to diffusion. Its experimental realization opens the possibility to practically achieve the control of a wide range of systems at a low additional cost of energy.