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A Symplectic Map Approach to Magnetic Field-Line Dynamics in Tokamaks

Chaotic Dynamics 2026-08-05 v1 Plasma Physics

Abstract

Magnetic field-line transport in tokamaks is governed by the interplay between chaotic dynamics and invariant phase-space structures that act as partial transport barriers. We investigate the conservative Tokamap, an exact symplectic mapping for magnetic field-line dynamics, using a unified geometrical, dynamical, and statistical framework. Phase-space portraits and Lyapunov exponents characterize the mixed Hamiltonian dynamics, while ensemble-averaged transport exhibits universal dynamic scaling with growth, crossover, and saturation regimes connected through a homogeneous scaling theory. Poincar\'e recurrence statistics reveal that decreasing the magnetic-shear parameter systematically slows transport, with the characteristic transport time following the algebraic scaling τcxq0.213\tau_c\propto x_q^{-0.213}. This behavior reflects increasingly dominant stickiness associated with KAM islands, resonance chains, and cantori. Our results establish a direct connection between the geometrical organization of Hamiltonian phase space and macroscopic transport properties, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding long-time magnetic field-line transport in tokamaks and other Hamiltonian systems with mixed phase space.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2608.05414,
  title  = {A Symplectic Map Approach to Magnetic Field-Line Dynamics in Tokamaks},
  author = {Diego F. M. Oliveira and Edson D. Leonel},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2608.05414},
  year   = {2026}
}