In our teens we studied Hamiltonian functions a little bit as part of our attempt

to understand classical and quantum physics. A byproduct of it was a superficial

interest in the geometry of some of the mappings arising from such systems. This
led us to the beautiful mapping, known as the Standard Map, emerging from the study
of the Russian (Kolmogorov, Arnold, Chirikov) and German (Moser) schools on the
Hamiltonian of a dynamical system receiving periodic kicks. Then we chanced upon
the work of Scott et al and learned of a Hamiltonian mapping therein, which will be
the topic of this note. While the note is a bit about its geometry and mostly a
celebration of its aesthetics, for the unfamiliar reader we shall preface it a very
basic background of the underlying physics. Rather than go into the details of the
calculus of Hamiltonians, this will only repeat very elementary stuff that you
would have studied in the first year of an ordinary junior college or can look up
from Feynmans legendary lectures.

Let the position of an object of mass m in one dimension be denoted by x in some

distance unit. The first time derivative of this position it the velocity of the
object, v=\tfrac{dx}{dt}=\dot{x}. The momentum of the object is defined as the
product of its mass and velocity p=m\cdot v=m\cdot \dot{x}. Newtons second law
tells us that: The acceleration (a) of an object in the direction of a force (F)
acting on it is directly proportional to the magnitude of the force and inversely
proportional to its mass (m). This acceleration is the second time derivative of
position x. Hence, a=\tfrac{d^2x}{dt^2}=\ddot{x}. Thus, we get,
a=\dfrac{F}{m} \\ \\ \therefore F=m\cdot a=m\cdot \ddot{x}
Since, p=m\dot{x} we get \tfrac{dp}{dt}=\tfrac{d}{dt}(m\dot{x}). Thus, F=\tfrac{dp}
{dt}=\dot{p}

Now, one of the most important idealized conceptions of motion of an object is

simple harmonic motion (SHM). It results from the opposing action of inertia of a
body and elasticity of the mechanism holding it. Thus, when the body is displaced
by a force in a single dimension from its equilibrium position, x=0, the elasticity
is that which tries to bring it back to the equilibrium (imagine pulling a spring
or a rubber band with a weight). Newton informs us that inertia is the tendency a
body to remain at rest or continue in its line of motion unless an unbalanced force
acts on it. Thus, due to inertia, the displaced body when pulled back towards the
equilibrium point overshoots it and continues its displacement past it, while the
elasticity provides the force that tries to restore it. Thus, inertia and
elasticity together set up oscillatory motion or SHM. The force displacing the
object can be described by Newtons second law as given above. In contrast the
elastic force can be described simply as something which acts opposite to the
direction of the displacement and is directly proportional to the amount of
displacement (Hookes law; again imagine the restoring force generated by pulling a
spring/rubber band will be more the greater you stretch it). Thus, F=-k\cdot x. The
k is proportionality constant for the elastic force and the negative sign indicates
it acting opposite to displacement. Thus, due to the balance of the displacing and
elastic force we get:
ma=-kx\\ \therefore m\ddot{x}=-kx;\; \ddot{x}+\dfrac{k}{m}x=0
The above is the famous differential equation for SHM which every educated teenager
knows.

When the object is performing oscillation, its kinetic energy T at a given point
can be easily described, T=\tfrac{1}{2}mv^2. From above equation for momentum we
get v=\tfrac{p}{m} and plugging it into the equation for kinetic energy we get,
T=\tfrac{p^2}{2m}

The potential energy of the object in SHM arises from the elasticity. When you do
work against the elasticity it gets stored as equivalent potential energy U. We
know the force from elasticity due to Hookes law is F=-kx. When we do work W
against it that work is described as the total amount, i.e. integral, of the
product of force (now with a positive sign as it is done against the elastic force)
and the infinitesmal displacement dx,