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We investigate the dynamics in the logarithmic galactic potential with an analytical approach. The phase-space structure of the real system is approximated with resonant detuned normal forms constructed with the method based on the Lie transform. Attention is focused on the properties of the axial periodic orbits and of low order `boxlets' that play an important role in galactic models. Using energy and ellipticity as parameters, we find analytical expressions of several useful indicators, such as stability-instability thresholds, bifurcations and phase-space fractions of some orbit families and compare them with numerical results available in the literature.Comment: To appear on the Astrophysical Journa

Invariants at arbitrary and fixed energy (strongly and weakly conserved quantities) for 2-dimensional Hamiltonian systems are treated in a unified way. This is achieved by utilizing the Jacobi metric geometrization of the dynamics. Using Killing tensors we obtain an integrability condition for quadratic invariants which involves an arbitrary analytic function S(z). For invariants at arbitrary energy the function S(z) is a second degree polynomial with real second derivative. The integrability condition then reduces to Darboux's condition for quadratic invariants at arbitrary energy. The four types of classical quadratic invariants for positive definite 2-dimensional Hamiltonians are shown to correspond to certain conformal transformations. We derive the explicit relation between invariants in the physical and Jacobi time gauges. In this way knowledge about the invariant in the physical time gauge enables one to directly write down the components of the corresponding Killing tensor for the Jacobi metric. We also discuss the possibility of searching for linear and quadratic invariants at fixed energy and its connection to the problem of the third integral in galactic dynamics. In our approach linear and quadratic invariants at fixed energy can be found by solving a linear ordinary differential equation of the first or second degree respectively.