Classi

al Me hani s
PHYS 505 Fall 2011
Problem Assignment #5
9/30/11 due 10/7/11
1. Lissajous gures (10 points)
Consider a 2-dimensional os illator with potential
2
mX 2 2
U (x1 , x2 ) = ω x , Ω = ω1 /ω2 .
2 i=1 i i

(a) Solve the equations of motion.

(b) Show that for Ω = 1 the orbit is an ellipse. Determine the length and position of the axes, and
draw the ellipse.
( ) Draw the orbit for Ω = 2, x01 = x02 = a, ẋ01 = ẋ02 = 0, and for Ω = 2, x01 = x02 = 0, ẋ01 = ω1 a,
ẋ02 = ẋ01 /2.
(d) Draw the orbit for Ω = π/3, x01 = x02 = a, ẋ01 = ẋ02 = 0.
Remark: It turns out that all orbits are losed if and only if Ω is a rational number. If Ω is irrational,
then the orbit lls a re tangle everywhere densely!
2. Pre essing orbits (6 points)
(a) Show that the motion of a parti le in the potential eld
k h
V (r) = − + 2
r r
is the same as that of the motion under the Kepler potential alone when expressed in terms of a
oordinate system rotating or pre essing around the enter of for e.
(b) For negative total energy, show that if the additional potential term is very small ompared to
the Kepler potential, then the angular speed of the pre ession of the ellipti al orbit is
2πmh
Ω̇ = .
ℓ2 τ

( ) The perihelion of Mer ury is observed to pre ess (after orre tion for known planetary perturba-
tions) at the rate of about 40′′ of ar per entury. Show that this pre ession ould be a ounted
for lassi ally if the dimensionless quantity
h
η=
ka
(whi h is a measure of the perturbing inverse-square potential relative to the gravitational poten-
tial) were as small as 7 × 10−8 . (The e entri ity of Mer ury's orbit is 0.206, and its period is
0.24 year.)

1
3. S attering and Index of Refra tion (10 points)
A entral for e potential frequently en ountered in nu lear physi s is the re tangular well, dened by
the potential


0 r>a
V = .
−V0 r≤a

(a) Show that the s attering produ ed by su h a potential in lassi al me hani s is identi al with the
refra tion of light rays by a sphere of radius a adn relative index of refra tion
r
E + V0
n= .
E
(This equivalen e demonstrates why it was possible to explain refra tion phenomena both by
Huygen's waves and by Newton's me hani al orpus les.)
(b) Show that the dierential ross se tion is
n cos θ2 − 1 n − cos 2θ





n 2 a2
σ(θ) =

2 .
4 cos 2θ


1 + n2 − 2n cos θ2

( ) What is the total ross se tion?