Chaotic magnetic field lines and fractal structures in a tokamak with magnetic limiter

Abstract

Open hamiltonian systems have typically fractal structures underlying chaotic dynamics with a number of physical consequences on transport. We consider such fractal structures related to the formation of a chaotic magnetic field line region near the tokamak wall and the corresponding field line dynamics, described by a two-dimensional area-preserving map. We focus on the exit basins, which are sets of points which originate orbits escaping through some exit and are typically fractal, also exhibiting the so-called Wada property. We show qualitative as well as quantitative evidences of these properties.