Lie group spectral variational integrators (Q525603)

The paper presents an extension of high-order Lie group integrators introduced in [\textit{J. Hall} and \textit{M. Leok}, Numer. Math. 130, No. 4, 681--740 (2015; Zbl 1359.37143)]. Such methods are of particular interest for applications in science and engineering, as they allow large time steps while yielding highly accurate approximations of the solution. The diffeomorphisms used for constructing the numerical schemes are expanded and convergence results are provided. The properties of both the discrete and continuous approximation are discussed. Some fundamentals of discrete mechanics are reviewed and general Galerkin variational integrators are constructed. The geometric high-order convergence of such integrators is analyzed. An example of an integrator based on the Cayley transform is also presented. Finally numerical examples, e.g., for a three-dimensional pendulum, are given to illustrate how the proposed methods behave in practice.