The physics of chaos in Hamiltonian systems

This book aims to familiarize the reader with the essential properties of the chaotic dynamics of Hamiltonian systems by avoiding specialized mathematical tools, thus making it easily accessible to a broader audience of researchers and students. Unique material on the most intriguing and fascinating topics of unsolved and current problems in contemporary chaos theory is presented. The coverage includes: separatrix chaos; properties and a description of systems with non-ergodic dynamics; the distribution of Poincaré recurrences and their role in transport theory; dynamical models of the Maxwell s Demon, the occurrence of persistent fluctuations, and a detailed discussion of their role in the problem underlying the foundation of statistical physics; the emergence of stochastic webs in phase space and their link to space tiling with periodic (crystal type) and aperiodic (quasi-crystal type) symmetries. This second edition expands on pseudochaotic dynamics with weak mixing and the new phenomenon of fractional kinetics, which is crucial to the transport properties of chaotic motion. The book is ideally suited to all those who are actively working on the problems of dynamical chaos as well as to those looking for new inspiration in this area. It introduces the physicist to the world of Hamiltonian chaos and the mathematician to actual physical problems.The material can also be used by graduate students.