For a planar Hamiltonian system with vector field perturbed by , the divergence theorem expresses the leading drift of the first integral around a closed periodic orbit asA vanishing drift is a necessary first-order selection condition for a persisting periodic orbit. A simple zero with outward drift on its inner side and inward drift on its outer side yields an attracting limit cycle. In the Hamiltonian limit of three-to-one forcing, the separatrix triangle has mean , so the leading separatrix flux vanishes at . A homoclinic or heteroclinic transition still requires the separatrix splitting and higher-order corrections to be controlled.
Classical integrability 2026-10-06
For a finite-dimensional Hamiltonian system, integrability is normally expressed by enough independent first integrals in mutual Poisson bracket involution. In classical field theories, an infinite hierarchy of compatible conserved quantities is the corresponding structure. For Sine-Gordon theory, Bäcklund transformations generate local conservation laws and explicit soliton solutions. Conservation of arbitrary quantities alone should not be confused with proof of their Hamiltonian involution.
Hamiltonian limit of three-to-one forcing 2026-10-06
For small positive forcing-frame frequency , use , and in the three-to-one spatially forced amplitude equation. The leading system is . Writing gives the Hamiltonian system and the displayed first integral. The origin is a center equilibrium; three saddle equilibria at and lie on . The factorization reveals a triangular heteroclinic cycle, containing closed periodic orbits for every .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 76 2 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For , put , and , where . Then and division by givesWe may take without loss of the dynamics by conjugating the original equation if necessary; otherwise reverses the time orientation. The scaling is singular at and is not a transformation for that exactly zero-frequency case.
The Hamiltonian limit of three-to-one forcing drops the terms proportional to . For the remaining real system isThe proposed first integral isIndeed and , hence . The unperturbed equation is a planar Hamiltonian system, with a center equilibrium at the origin and three saddle equilibria atAll saddle equilibria have . The factorizationshows that their central separatrix consists of the three sides of an equilateral triangle. Each level inside this triangle is a closed periodic orbit. Indeed, inside the triangle and . Each ray from the origin therefore meets each such level once, giving a compact simple closed contour with no equilibrium point on it. The nonzero vector field traverses this contour periodically; the period grows without bound as the separatrix is approached. This supplies an infinite family, not a claim that every level outside the central region is closed.
Restore the small radial perturbation. Its exact effect on the first integral isConsequently the continuum of Hamiltonian system orbits generally does not persist. The origin becomes a weak attracting focus for or a repelling focus for , and the three hyperbolic saddle equilibria persist with perturbed stable manifold and unstable manifold. For a small positive , outward drift on very small orbits balances cubic damping on somewhat larger ones, selecting a stable limit cycle rather than an arbitrary energy level. Near the center equilibrium , so its leading radius is when is also small.
For a more general closed unperturbed orbit , the averaged area criterion for perturbed Hamiltonian cycles says that persistence requires the averaged energy drift to vanish. Since the unperturbed speed is , the planar divergence theorem converts this leading drift towhere is the enclosed region. Isolated zeros select candidate periodic orbits; a drift changing from positive inside to negative outside gives an attracting limit cycle. The separatrix triangle has mean , so its leading flux changes sign at . This marks the leading possible heteroclinic transition, with higher-order corrections needed to locate it precisely.
As a cycle approaches the saddle equilibria, long residence times and splitting of the heteroclinic cycle become important. Orbits can instead drift inward to the equilibrium point at the origin or leave the periodic island and approach one of the stable states with phase locking of the full canonical equation. Those upper-branch threefold phase-locked equilibria have , so they lie outside the local scaling. Thus the small perturbation gives energy selection, attracting or repelling oscillations, and possible switching/locking transitions; it does not preserve a conserved or an infinite family of neutral periodic solutions. This qualitative picture does not assume all global parameter values have the same attractor.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 3 29D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Solve , . Since , differentiation gives . To see why the Lax equation preserves the spectrum, direct differentiation givesThus is an orthogonal similarity, so all eigenvalues and all coefficients of its characteristic polynomial are first integrals.
A -dimensional Hamiltonian system is Liouville integrable when it has functionally independent first integrals, including the Hamiltonian, whose pairwise Poisson brackets vanish, on an open dense regular region.
For the three-particle periodic Toda lattice, take . The proposed Hamiltonian haswhich are exactly the equations of motion. Differentiating the new variables givesThe transformation is not canonical. For examplerather than canonical coordinate brackets. Moreover , so the map forgets the common translation of all the and is not an invertible coordinate change on the six-dimensional phase space.
Multiplication of the displayed matrices gives diagonal entries and off-diagonal entries in . Therefore they form the required Lax pair. The three characteristic coefficients areThey are independent first integrals, as permitted without proof. Equivalently one may takeIndeed , and . Their mutual Poisson commutation also follows directly: generates the common translation, and because is conserved.
