Small radial oscillations in a power-law potential

ID: small-radial-oscillations-in-a-power-law-potential

For a central potential and fixed nonzero angular momentum , the effective potential has a nondegenerate stable circular orbit when and . Its radius obeys . The radial small oscillation frequency satisfies , where . Rational frequency ratios close the linearized near-circular sketch, but generally not the exact finite-amplitude orbit; Bertrand's theorem distinguishes the exceptional harmonic and Kepler potentials.

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