Stochastic Plasma-Heating by Electrostatic-Waves - a Comparison between a Particle-in-Cell Simulation and a Laboratory Experiment

Dynamical chaos is produced by the interaction between plasma particles and two electrostatic waves. Experiments performed in a linear magnetized plasma and a ID particle-in-cell simulation agree qualitatively: above a threshold wave amplitude, ion stochastic diffusion and heating occur on a fast time scale. Self-consistency appears to limit the extent of the heating process.