Nonlinear dynamics of a particle in an electric and magnetic field

This work involves the computational study of a charged particle (electron) in the field of a heavy particle (proton) and an applied constant magnetic field. When either the magnetic field or the central field of the proton are "switched off", closed analytic solutions for the classical dynamics exist. However, when both fields are present, only approximate analytic solutions are available. For a weak, applied magnetic field perturbation theory may be used to construct the approximate solutions, but these solutions break down in the high field regime. To study the behavior of such an atom in this region we perform numerical studies of the classical dynamics. The nonlinear terms in the equations of motion induce chaotic motions, and such effects will be explored in detail.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Year

1994

Author dc:creator

• Doyle, Sean James

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/rtds/375

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:oasis.library.unlv.edu:rtds-1374