Surface of Section Applet
|
![]() |
APPLET INSTRUCTIONS:
To start the applet, click anywhere in the black square on the right. You will then see two panes appear. On the left is the xy plane, where you can watch the star trace out its orbit. On the right is the surface of section plot. Every time the star crosses the y axis, its phase space coordinate (y, vy) is plotted on the surface of section. The white curve on the surface of section marks the region of allowed orbits. Outside this curve orbits are not allowed for the energy you have chosen; if you click there nothing will happen. Clicking on the surface of section starts a new orbit which starts at x = 0, y and vy given by where you clicked on the surface of section, and vx determined from x, y, vy and the energy chosen. As you click again in the surface of section, the xy plot gets erased and a new orbit started. The old orbit's surface of section remains, however, so by starting different orbits you can make a "map" of phase space with the surface of section. If you want to erase the surface of section as well, hit the "reset" button. |
CONTROLS:
|