The period function and the harmonic balance method (Q2255740)

This paper is devoted to an examination of the period function \(T(r)\) of the cycle through the point with coordinates \((r, 0)\) at a center of a real analytic planar Hamiltonian system \[ \dot x = -y, \dot y = f(x) \] with particular attention devoted to the cases \[ f(x) = x + x^{2m-1} (m \in {\mathbb N}, m \geqslant 2) \text{ and } f(x) = x / (x^2 + k^2)^m (m \in [1, \infty), k \neq 0). \] It is shown that \(T\) is monotonic, decreasing in the first case, increasing in the second, and expansions of \(T\) are found analytically. The harmonic balance method is the idea of approximating \(T\) by approximating periodic solutions using Fourier series truncated at some order \(N\). It is shown that even for \(N = 1\) approximations \(T_N\) to \(T\) found in this way have behavior sufficiently similar to that of \(T\) to yield significant information about \(T\). Among other things further results are obtained for the first case when \(m = 2\) (the Duffing-harmonic oscillator) and some attention is also devoted to the case of general real analytic \(f\).