Phase space focusing in dissipative driven elliptical billiards

Abstract

We study the interplay of dissipation and harmonic driving in the elliptical billiard. These two competing processes balance each other, which leads to a destruction of Fermi acceleration and thus to a saturation of the ensemble averaged velocity. In particular, the emergence of dynamical attractors sharply focuses the ensemble onto certain parts of phase space. The population of individual attractors can be controlled by adding small hyperbolic elements to certain parts of the boundary of the billiard. Furthermore, the position of the attractors in momentum space can be adjusted by tuning parameters like the dissipation constant or the driving amplitude and frequency. Thus, the dissipative, driven elliptical billiard represents a powerful tool for particle preparation.