Abstract
The chaotic dynamics of Alfvén waves in space plasmas governed by the derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation, in the low-dimensional limit described by stationary spatial solutions, is studied. A bifurcation diagram is constructed, by varying the driver amplitude, to identify a number of nonlinear dynamical processes including saddle-node bifurcation, boundary crisis, and interior crisis. The roles played by unstable periodic orbits and chaotic saddles in these transitions are analyzed, and the conversion from a chaotic saddle to a chaotic attractor in these dynamical processes is demonstrated. In particular, the phenomenon of gap-filling in the chaotic transition from weak chaos to strong chaos via an interior crisis is investigated. A coupling unstable periodic orbit created by an explosion, within the gaps of the chaotic saddles embedded in a chaotic attractor following an interior crisis, is found numerically. The gap-filling unstable periodic orbits are responsible for coupling the banded chaotic saddle (BCS) to the surrounding chaotic saddle (SCS), leading to crisis-induced intermittency. The physical relevance of chaos for Alfvén intermittent turbulence observed in the solar wind is discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 17-29 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2007 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
- Geophysics
- Geochemistry and Petrology