From: Austin Tobin <austin.tobin@gmail.com> To: scipy-user@python.org Subject: [SciPy-User] Understanding parameters of scipy.special Mathieu_cem function etc. Message-ID: <CAKYpchqjtMLvpvnwy-+X=SUFPhKUKt0XykBk8SFRnz-jr8YSeA@mail. gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

I am trying to relate the Mathieu equation found in Wikipedia Mathieu Equation <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathieu_function/> to the one implemented in scipy.special. In Wikipedia there are 3 inputs, a,q and the parameter along which the integration proceeds.

mathieu_cem takes three inputs, an order (integer), a characteristic parameter and the the parameter along which the integration proceeds in degrees. I am trying to relate a and q to the order and characteristic parameter.

If it helps I am trying to simulate a quadrupole mass spectrometer with a and q being trapping parameters. Regards, Austin

The wikipedia link is broken. Could you fix that and maybe post some numbers that you are expecting? I am pretty sure the q is the characteristic number, the degrees are the local elliptic coordinates and the order is, well, the order of the function.