CHAOTIC SCATTERING ON A BILLIARD

We investigate chaotic scattering on an attractive step potential with a quadrupolar deformation. The phase space features of the bound bill iard are studied by using the notion of symmetry lines to find periodi c orbits. We show that the scattering dynamics is intimately linked to structures in the bound billiard (infinite potential wall) phase spac e. The existence of preferred scattering directions is shown to be a c onsequence of large scale features of the phase space such as the peri od-two orbits. Self-similarity in the scattering functions is directly linked to unstable periodic orbits of the bound phase space. The main observations and methodology are applicable to concave billiards in g eneral. [S1063-651X(98)02002-9].