To clarify, the current through the inductor and capacitor are always identical. They can't "divide" since there's no other place for the current to go in a series circuit. Currents are always the same in all parts of a series circuit.
Hi,
Yes good point, i should have shown the polarity of the current measurements in my graphs.
The polarity of the currents are both 'down' through the elements. That when the L and C are in parallel and drawn right next to each other with one lead down and the other lead up. Thus the current in one shows up as positive while the current in the other is negative. In reality both currents have the same phase.
I almost forgot to mention...
To supply energy to the circuit we can either use a current source or a voltage source provided there is some ESR in the capacitor. The current in the cap starts out high, but the current in the inductor starts out at zero.
But there are actually other ways to start this circuit too. We could start with 1v across the cap for example, or 1a through the inductor, or both, or use a source in parallel (the usual method). When we use the source in parallel the current starts out flowing down through both elements with the same polarity, but once we switch off the source the circuit can then begin to oscillate. If we use a current source we dont have to switch it off, but then we have some offset current in the inductor (inductor is a short circuit for DC). That's not a big deal but the waveforms will show up with the inductor current above zero for all or at least some of the time, but more time above zero then below zero than with no offset current. That's a little strange but it's just the DC current coming from the current source.
So the main idea here is that if we want to look at the startup waveforms as well as the normal running operation, we have to pick a starting method. For example, a common way to do this would be to use a voltage pulse to the circuit maybe in series with a good diode so that the voltage source has no effect after it goes to zero and lets the circuit oscillate normally.
Here is a short list of starting methods:
1. Initial voltage across the cap
2. Initial current through the inductor
3. Both 1 and 2 above
4. Voltage pulse with no diode
5. Voltage pulse with a diode
6. Constant current source
7. Current pulse
Note any starting method that involves a voltage source requires at least some series resistance in the capacitor.
Probably #6 is the easiest method to look at, but #1 isnt bad either.