Differential invariants of second order ODEs. I (Q966477)

The author studies point transformations of scalar second-order ordinary differential equations of the form \(y''=a_3(x,y)(y')^3+a_2(x,y)(y')^2+a_1(x,y)y'+a_0(x,y)\). This approach is based on representing this class of equations as a natural bundle and considering the associated jet bundles. After an introduction of the geometric structures needed, the author describes the isotropy algebras and orbits for the action of the pseudogroup of point transformations on the jet bundles up to order 3. The remainder of the article is devoted to the construction of scalar and tensor differential invariants classifying these orbits. In particular, a complete set of generators of the algebra of all scalar differential invariants of the generic orbit on the third-order jet bundle and their differential syzygies are determined.