A new method for studying the vibration of non-homogeneous membranes

We present a method to solve the Helmholtz equation for a non-homogeneous membrane with Dirichlet boundary conditions at the border of arbitrary two-dimensional domains. The method uses a collocation approach based on a set of localized functions, called "little sinc functions", which are used to discretize two-dimensional regions. We have performed extensive numerical tests and we have compared the results obtained with the present method with the ones available from the literature. Our results show that the present method is very accurate and that its implementation for general problems is straightforward.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 6 table

The string of variable density: perturbative and non-perturbative results

We obtain systematic approximations for the modes of vibration of a string of variable density, which is held fixed at its ends. These approximations are obtained iteratively applying three theorems which are proved in the paper and which hold regardless of the inhomogeneity of the string. Working on specific examples we obtain very accurate approximations which are compared both with the results of WKB method and with the numerical results obtained with a collocation approach. Finally, we show that the asymptotic behaviour of the energies of the string obtained with perturbation theory, worked to second order in the inhomogeinities, agrees with that obtained with the WKB method and implies a different functional dependence on the density that in two and higher dimensions.Comment: 28 pages, 3 tables, 6 figure

The period of a classical oscillator

We develop a simple method to obtain approximate analytical expressions for the period of a particle moving in a given potential. The method is inspired to the Linear Delta Expansion (LDE) and it is applied to a large class of potentials. Precise formulas for the period are obtained.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Improved Lindstedt-Poincare method for the solution of nonlinear problems

We apply the Linear Delta Expansion (LDE) to the Lindstedt-Poincare (``distorted time'') method to find improved approximate solutions to nonlinear problems. We find that our method works very well for a wide range of parameters in the case of the anharmonic oscillator (Duffing equation) and of the non-linear pendulum. The approximate solutions found with this method are better behaved and converge more rapidly to the exact ones than in the simple Lindstedt-Poincar\'e method.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures, RevTex

Asymptotic and exact series representations for the incomplete Gamma function

Using a variational approach, two new series representations for the incomplete Gamma function are derived: the first is an asymptotic series, which contains and improves over the standard asymptotic expansion; the second is a uniformly convergent series, completely analytical, which can be used to obtain arbitrarily accurate estimates of $\Gamma(a,x)$ for any value of $a$ or $x$. Applications of these formulas are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Weakly bound states in heterogeneous waveguides: a calculation to fourth order

We have extended a previous calculation of the energy of a weakly heterogeneous waveguide to fourth order in the density perturbation, deriving its general expression. For particular configurations where the second and third orders both vanish, we discover that the fourth order contribution lowers in general the energy of the state, below the threshold of the continuum. In these cases the waveguide possesses a localized state. We have applied our general formula to a solvable model with vanishing second and third orders reproducing the exact expression for the fourth order.Comment: 20 pages, one table, two figures; minor changes with respect to the first versio