Relaxation in dissipative mechanical systems (Q1067797)

The purpose of this paper is to study theoretically relaxation in a mechanical system with n degrees of freedom described by a Hamiltonian modified by the addition of dissipative Lagrangian forces. It is assumed that the system has an asymptotically stable equilibrium. An asymptotic solution is obtained using a linearization about this equilibrium, followed by a transition to a non-linear integral equation. It is stated, without specific references, that problems of this type may be encountered not only in mechanics, but also in physics, biology, and chemistry. However, no practical applications within these fields of the developed mathematical formalism are given.