English

Universal Second-Order Phase Transition from Integrability to Chaos

Chaotic Dynamics 2026-02-23 v1

Abstract

We report a dynamical phase transition from integrability to non-integrability in a simple oval-like billiard with boundary R(θ)=1+ϵcos(pθ)R(\theta)=1+\epsilon\cos(p\theta). For ϵ=0\epsilon=0, the phase space is {\it foliated} by invariant curves corresponding to periodic or quasiperiodic motion, whereas for small ϵ\epsilon a thin chaotic layer separates rotational and librational trajectories. As ϵ\epsilon increases, this layer grows according to a well-defined scaling law whose chaotic dispersion follows ωrms,satϵα~\omega_{\rm rms,sat}\sim\epsilon^{\tilde{\alpha}}, where the exponent α~\tilde{\alpha} coincides with those of the Fermi-Ulam model, periodically corrugated waveguides, and a family of discrete mappings, revealing a universal mechanism for the onset of chaos in weakly perturbed integrable systems. The deviation of the reflection angle in the billiard, ωrms,sat\omega_{\rm rms,sat}, acts as an order parameter: it vanishes continuously as ϵ0\epsilon\to 0, signalling an ordered (integrable) phase, while its susceptibility χ=dωrms,sat/dϵ\chi=d\omega_{\rm rms,sat}/d\epsilon diverges, indicating a second-order phase transition. A symmetry breaking and an analytically solvable diffusion process complete the near-critical phenomenology. These results establish a unified framework for the emergence of chaos from integrability.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2602.17802,
  title  = {Universal Second-Order Phase Transition from Integrability to Chaos},
  author = {Edson D. Leonel and Mayla A. M. de Almeida and Juan Pedro Tarigo and Arturo C. Marti and Diego F. M. Oliveira},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.17802},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T10:43:35.096Z