Professor W. Horton
Office Telephone: 471-1594
Office: RLM 11.320
E-Mail: horton@physics.utexas.edu
TEXT:
Classical Dynamics: A Contemporary Approach by Jorge V. José and Eugene J. Saletan (ISBN 0521636361)
Supplemental Reading:
Classical Mechanics (3rd Edition) by Herbert Goldstein, Charles Poole, John Safko, Prentice Hall (ISBN: 0201657023). For thirty years this has been the standard in advanced classical mechanics courses. This classic book enables readers to make connections between classical and modern physics - an indispensable part of a physicist's education.
Chaos and Structures in Nonlinear Plasma (ISBN 9810226365) by Horton and Ichikawa. Treats a wide range of chaotic systems.
This core course will have homework, a midterm and a final exam as announced.
THE PRINCIPAL TOPICS FOLLOWING THE TEXT ARE:
The Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulation of Newtonian dynamics. Canonical transformations, the Hamilton-Jacobi equation, perturbation methods, motion of rigid bodies, relativistic Kepler problem, Liouville and Darboux theorems, and inverse and chaotic scattering.
The methods of nonlinear dynamics including the Lyapunov exponent-based criterion for chaos, the Poincare Surface of Section, and KAM theory will be covered. Computer simulations will be encouraged.
OBJECTIVES OF PHYSICS 385K UNIQUE NO. 58270
Develop an understanding of the nature of orbits and the geometry of the phase space for dynamical systems. Develop an understanding of the standard paradigms for nonlinear particle dynamics. The study of maps that represent the analogs of phase space flows. Make the connections between classical and quantum mechanics.
Page Last Updated 18 Dec 02
Physics Department
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