Period of a mechanical system

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Im trying to solve the following problem.

Consider $\mathbb{R}^{2}$ with coordinates $(x,y)$. Let $H$ be a smooth function on $\mathbb{R}^{2}$. Also, consider the Hamilton equations: $$\dfrac{dx}{dt}=\dfrac{\partial H}{\partial y}, \qquad \dfrac{dy}{dt}=-\dfrac{\partial H}{\partial x}.$$ The Liouville $1-$form is $\Theta=y\,dx$. If $(x,y)$ lies on an integral curve $\Gamma^{+}$, we call the action to be the number $$I(x,y)=\int_{\Gamma^{+}}\Theta.$$

$1.$ What is the relation between the action and the area of the region inside $\Gamma$?

$2.$ Is possible to express the period of $\Gamma$ as a line integral over $\Gamma$? Such integral is always improper?

For the first part I used Stokes' theorem as follows: If $\Sigma$ is the region on the phase plane, whose boundary is $\Gamma$, and $\Sigma$ is oriented in such way that the induced orientation on $\Gamma$ is positive, we have $$I(x,y)=\int_{\Gamma^{+}}\Theta=\int_{\partial \Sigma^{+}}y\,dx=\int_{\Sigma^{+}}d(y\,dx)=\int_{\Sigma^{+}}dy\wedge dx=-\int_{\Sigma^{+}}dx\wedge dy=-\text{area}(\Sigma).$$

For the second part, we know from Hamilton equations that $dt=\left(\dfrac{\partial H}{\partial y}\right)^{-1}dx$. Now, let E be a value of Energy and $\Gamma$ a curve of level $E$ on the phase plane. Then the period $T$ of $\Gamma$ is: $$T=\int_{\Gamma^{+}}dt=\int_{\Gamma^{+}}\left(\dfrac{\partial H}{\partial y}\right)^{-1}dx.$$ Of course, the last integral is always improper, because that $1-$form is not defined on the whole plane, just on an open subset not containing any periodic orbit.

I would like to know if there is another $1-$ form defined on the whole plane, whose integral is the period.

I have the next idea but I'm not sure. For a curve $\Gamma$ of level $E$, define $\tau=\dfrac{dI}{E}$. So, $$T=\int_{\Gamma^{+}}\tau.$$ This is suggested by a problem in Arnold's book, Mathtematical Methods of Classical Mechanics, where a problem is to show that $T=\dfrac{dI}{dE}$.

Thank's!

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I think it's easier to see the nice solution when you forget about your coordinates for a while and just look at it from an abstract perspective. Let $X = H_y e_x - H_x e_y$ so that the system is the flow of $X$, i.e. $$\gamma'(t) = \frac{dx}{dt}e_x + \frac{dy}{dt}e_y = X(\gamma(t)).$$ Then we are just looking for a one-form $\vartheta$ such that $\vartheta(X) = 1$. This is clearly never possible when $X=0$, but where $X \ne 0$ (i.e. away from critical points of $H$) we can choose $\vartheta = |X|^{-2} X^\flat$ so that $$\vartheta(X) = |X|^{-2} \langle X,X \rangle = 1.$$ For our $X$ this is

$$ \vartheta = \frac1{H_x^2 + H_y^2}\left(H_y dx - H_x dy\right).$$

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Good question.

  1. What is the relation between the action and the area of the region inside Γ?

Just use Fubini's theorem to see that they are indeed equal.

  1. Is possible to express the period of Γ as a line integral over Γ? Such integral is always improper?

The answer is know. Just use the example of the pendulum to see this.