Stochastic ion acceleration by beating electrostatic waves.

A study is presented of the stochasticity in the orbit of a single, magnetized ion produced by the particle's interaction with two beating electrostatic waves whose frequencies differ by the ion cyclotron frequency. A second-order Lie transform perturbation theory is employed in conjunction with a numerical analysis of the maximum Lyapunov exponent to determine the velocity conditions under which stochasticity occurs in this dynamical system. Upper and lower bounds in ion velocity are found for stochastic orbits with the lower bound approximately equal to the phase velocity of the slower wave. A threshold condition for the onset of stochasticity that is linear with respect to the wave amplitudes is also derived. It is shown that the onset of stochasticity occurs for beating electrostatic waves at lower total wave energy densities than for the case of a single electrostatic wave or two nonbeating electrostatic waves.