A note on higher order averaging (Q1117728)

In the asymptotic analysis of slow-time processes, the theory of averaging plays a prominent part. Usually one formulates a perturbation problem in the form of a differential equation involving a small parameter \(\epsilon\), with the purpose of constructing \(O(\epsilon^ m)\) approximations on the time-scale \(1/\epsilon^ n\), i.e. for \(0\leq \epsilon^ nt\leq C\) with m, n and C positive constants, independent of \(\epsilon\). The standard theory concerns the case \(n=1\), time-scale 1/\(\epsilon\), with \(m=1,2,3,...\). There are several cases in which the validity on higher order time-scales can be achieved of which the case of periodic solutions is probably the best known. Here we are concerned with the case of appoximations on the time-scale \(1/\epsilon^ 2\) for general initial conditions. For an O(\(\epsilon)\) approximation on this time-scale one has to take into account the \(O(\epsilon^ 2)\) terms into the equation. For an \(O(\epsilon^ 2)\) approximation one needs the \(O(\epsilon^ 3)\) terms which makes the computation very laborious. This note is concerned with the cases in which the calculation of an \(0(\epsilon^ 2)\) approximation on the time- scale \(1/\epsilon^ 2\) is relatively easy. The theory is illustrated by application to a non-linear oscillator with small damping and to the Hénon-Heiles family of two degrees of freedom Hamiltonian systems. All asymptotic estimates are carried out in the supnorm.