Bounded Chaos in a Ghost-Coupled Hamiltonian System

Abstract

We study the dynamics of a Hamiltonian system with a ghost degree of freedom, characterized by a negative kinetic-energy contribution and the possibility of runaway behavior due to an indefinite energy functional. We present numerical evidence that a nonlinear interaction term, together with a saturating exponential potential $V_c$, can suppress phase-space escape over the parameter ranges explored in this work. Using direct numerical integration of the Hamiltonian equations of motion, Poincaré surfaces of section, and trajectory projections, we find that the ghost sector and nonlinear couplings generate a mixed phase-space structure with both regular islands and chaotic regions. The maximal Lyapunov exponent supports bounded chaotic motion: nearby trajectories separate exponentially while remaining confined to a finite region of phase space for the investigated initial conditions and parameters $(\varepsilon,α)$. These results suggest that nonlinear confinement can significantly alter the stability properties of negative-energy sectors at the classical level. They provide numerical evidence for a bounded-chaos regime in which ghost-induced divergences are avoided within the explored domain.