INSTABILITIES AND STICKINESS IN A 3D ROTATING GALACTIC POTENTIAL

We study the dynamics in the neighborhood of simple and double unstable periodic orbits in a rotating 3D autonomous Hamiltonian system of galactic type. In order to visualize the four-dimensional spaces of section, we use the method of color and rotation. We investigate the structure of the invariant manifolds that we found in the neighborhood of simple and double unstable periodic orbits in 4D spaces of section. We consider orbits in the neighborhood of the families x1v2, belonging to the x1 tree, and the z-axis (the rotational axis of our system). Close to the transition points from stability to simple instability, in the neighborhood of the bifurcated simple unstable x1v2 periodic orbits, we encounter the phenomenon of stickiness as the asymptotic curves of the unstable manifold surround regions of the phase space occupied by rotational tori existing in the region. For larger energies, away from the bifurcating point, the consequents of the chaotic orbits form clouds of points with mixing of color in their 4D representations. In the case of double instability, close to x1v2 orbits, we find clouds of points in the four-dimensional spaces of section. However, in some cases of double unstable periodic orbits belonging to the z-axis family we can visualize the associated unstable eigensurface. Chaotic orbits close to the periodic orbit remain sticky to this surface for long times (of the order of a Hubble time or more). Among the orbits we studied, we found those close to the double unstable orbits of the x1v2 family having the largest diffusion speed. The sticky chaotic orbits close to the bifurcation point of the simple unstable x1v2 orbit and close to the double unstable z-axis orbit that we have examined, have comparable diffusion speeds. These speeds are much slower than of the orbits in the neighborhood of x1v2 simple unstable periodic orbits away from the bifurcating point, or of the double unstable orbits of the same family having very different eigenvalues along the corresponding unstable eigendirections.

THE STRUCTURE OF INVARIANT TORI IN A 3D GALACTIC POTENTIAL

We study in detail the structure of phase space in the neighborhood of stable periodic orbits in a rotating 3D potential of galactic type. Using the color and rotation method to investigate the properties of the invariant tori in 4D spaces of the section, we compare our results with those of previous works and we describe the morphology of the rotational, as well as of the tube tori in 4D space. We find sticky chaotic orbits in the immediate neighborhood of sets of invariant tori surrounding 3D stable periodic orbits. Particularly useful for galactic dynamics is the behavior of chaotic orbits trapped for long time between 4D invariant tori. We find that they support during this time the same structure as the quasi-periodic orbits around the stable periodic orbits, contributing however to a local increase of the dispersion of velocities. Finally, we find that the tube tori do not appear in the 3D projections of the spaces of the section in the axisymmetric Hamiltonian we examined.

STICKINESS EFFECTS IN CONSERVATIVE SYSTEMS

Stickiness refers to chaotic orbits that stay in a particular region for a long time before escaping. For example, stickiness appears near the borders of an island of stability in the phase space of a 2-D dynamical system. This is pronounced when the KAM tori surrounding the island are destroyed and become cantori (see [Contopoulos, 2002]). We find the time scale of stickiness along the unstable asymptotic curves of unstable periodic orbits around an island of stability, that depends on several factors: (a) the largest eigenvalue |λ| of the asymptotic curve. If λ > 0 the orbits on the unstable asymptotic manifold in one direction (fast direction) escape faster than the orbits in the opposite direction (slow direction) (b) the distance from the last KAM curve or from the main cantorus (the cantorus with the smallest gaps) (c) the size of the gaps of the main cantorus and (d) the other cantori, islands and asymptotic curves. The most important factor is the size of the gaps of the main cantorus. Then we find when the various KAM curves are destroyed. The distance of the last KAM curve from the center of an island gives the size of the island. When the central periodic orbit becomes unstable, chaos is also formed around it, limited by a first KAM curve. Between the first and the last KAM curves there are still closed invariant curves. The sizes of the islands as functions of the perturbation, have abrupt changes at resonances. These functions have some universal features but also some differences. A new type of stickiness appears near the unstable asymptotic curves of unstable periodic orbits that extend far into the large chaotic sea. Such a stickiness lasts for long times, increasing the density of points close to the unstable asymptotic curves. However after a much longer time, the density becomes almost equal everywhere outside the islands of stability. We consider also stickiness near the asymptotic curves from new periodic orbits, and stickiness in Anosov systems and near totally unstable orbits. In systems that allow escapes to infinity the stickiness delays the escapes. An important astrophysical application is the case of barred-spiral galaxies. The spiral arms outside corotation consist mainly of sticky chaotic orbits. Stickiness keeps the spiral forms for times longer than a Hubble time, but after a much longer time most of the chaotic orbits escape to infinity.