Observation of deterministic chaos in electrical discharges in gases

Abstract

We report that dc-excited discharges in gases display current oscillations which develop into deterministically chaotic behavior. A period-doubling route to chaos characteristic of 1D maps is established for sealed discharges in Plücker's tubes containing helium. Besides this we report the observation of a scenario showing properties analogous to those of the 2D map of Hénon. Clear sequences of period doublings are also reported for flowing discharges.