A non-linear oscillator with quasi-harmonic behaviour: two- and n-dimensional oscillators

A non-linear two-dimensional system is studied by making use of both the Lagrangian and the Hamiltonian formalisms. This model is obtained as a two-dimensional version of a one-dimensional oscillator previously studied at the classical and also at the quantum level. First, it is proved that it is a super-integrable system, and then the non-linear equations are solved and the solutions are explicitly obtained. All the bounded motions are quasiperiodic oscillations and the unbounded (scattering) motions are represented by hyperbolic functions. In the second part the system is generalized to the case of n degrees of freedom. Finally, the relation of this non-linear system to the harmonic oscillator on spaces of constant curvature, the two-dimensional sphere S² and hyperbolic plane H², is discussed.