Poincare Map

Oscillator Motion
Harmonic motion has both a
mathematical and geometric
description.
Equations of motion
Phase portrait

The motion is characterized
by a natural period.
q
q
E < 2
E = 2
E > 2
2
sin
2
1 2
2
q
E
E q =
Plane pendulum
)
16
1 ( ) ( 2
2
0 2
1
u
t + ~
g
l
T
Stroboscope Effect
The motion in phase space
is confined to a surface.
1 dimension for pendulum


q
q
E < 2
E = 2
E > 2
The values of the motion
may be sampled with each
period.
Exact period maps to a
point.

The point depends on the
starting point for the system.
Same energy, different point
on E curve.

This is a Poincare map
Damping Portrait
Damped simple harmonic
motion has a well-defined
period.

The phase portrait is a spiral.

The Poincare map is a
sequence of points
converging on the origin.
q
q
Damped harmonic
motion
q kq q m =
2
1
2
2
)
4
( 2

=
m m
k
T

t
Undamped
curves
] ) 1
4
( 2 exp[
2
1
2

= A

t
mk
E
Section Map
The equations of motion can
be made into a sequence.
Natural frequency e
Could be driving frequency

The equations describe a
map from TQ TQ.
Map independent of n

A section is based on a
projection map t.

) / 2 (
0
e tn t x x
n
+ =
) / 2 (
0
e tn t x y
n
+ =
) , (
1 n n n
y x f x =
+
) , (
1 n n n
y x g y =
+
q q q ) , ( : t
)) ( , ( : q s q q s
q q s = ) ( t
is a section if
Two Pendulums
The phase space of a double
pendulum is four
dimensional.


Configuration Q is a torus S
1

S
1

Select the motion of one
pendulum at a specific point
in the space of the other.
)} , , , {( | | u u

= Q T
} 0 , 0 : ) , {( > = u u | |

)} , {( | u = Q
u

|

1

2

|

|
u
Commensurate Oscillations
The Poincare section map
can show the relation
between different periods in
motion.

Periods that are rational
multiples are commensurate.
T
1
= (m/n) T
2
Finite number of points in
section

Irrationally related periods
are incommensurate.
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Spinning magnet, S. Jolad, Penn State