Parallels between chaotic scattering and heating in cold ion-atom collisions

The authors study the nonhyperbolic chaotic dynamics of a Paul-trapped ion in a low-density bath of atoms above 1 $\ensuremath{\mu}$K. They find a power-law distribution for the complex lifetimes, an increase in complex formation for heavier, colder atoms, and a threshold collision energy for complex formation at approximately the trapped ion heating energy scale, establishing a connection between ion heating and chaos.