Classification of Noether symmetries for Lagrangians with three degrees of freedom (Q2386712)

The authors treat the classification of Noether point symmetries of Lagrangians of the form \(L = T - V \) for systems with three degrees of freedom. This is a continuation of their works on the symmetries of two- and three-dimensional Hamiltonian systems [J. Math. Phys. 40, No.~1, 210--235 (1999; Zbl 0976.70015); Appl. Math. Lett. 13, No.~2, 63--70 (2000; Zbl 0982.70013)] which deal with point symmetries even though this is not specified in the titles. One should note that the formulæ\, (9) and (10), and the first-order partial differential equations, (11), have been presented by \textit{R. L. Lemmer} and \textit{P. G. L. Leach} [Arab J. Math. Sci. 5, No.~2, 1--17 (1999; Zbl 0956.70015)] in a paper which possibly has had limited circulation. For the determination of the potential the critical first-order partial differential equation is (14) which Lemmer and Leach considered only in the case of one degree of freedom. In fact this equation can be regarded as a partial differential equation for the potential or for a constraint. The solution of the multivariable (14) is a much more complicated task than that of the simpler equation treated by Lemmer and Leach, and constitutes the core of the present paper. Even with the restriction to Noether point symmetries and autonomous Lagrangians, the task of classification is complicated and the reader, if not the authors, can easily lose track of different classes of algebras. In this regard it could have been helpful if the algebras of the symmetries were given. It may well be that the higher-dimensional algebras remain unclassified, but at least the structure in terms of subalgebras could be useful. The discussion is in terms of mechanical systems, but this is simply a convenient vehicle. Given the relation between the Noether point symmetries of the classical action integral and the corresponding Schrödinger equation and the equivalence of the Schrödinger equation to evolution partial differential equations in general, one finds algebras of relevance to a wider range of subject areas. To give an example, the Lie algebra associated with the potential \(V = a_{ij}x_ix_j \), where the coefficients \(a_{ij} \) are constants, \(A_1\oplus_s 6 A_1 \), coincides with that of the nongeneric Lie point symmetries of \textit{Schwartz}' [The Journal of Finance 52, 923--973 (1997)] three-factor model for the pricing of commodities, and thereby provides the clue for the further analysis of the latter equation. (Coincidentally is also indicates the connection between Lie point symmetries of systems of linear second-order ordinary differential equations and Schrödinger equation in more than one `spatial' variable which requires further investigation.) This is a useful paper and could be read with benefit by a newcomer to the field. It is unfortunate that there are some points which, although commonplace in the literature, are not completely correct. Noether symmetries are a subset of Lie symmetries of the same structure for the corresponding Lagrange equations. In the case of equations of maximal point (say) symmetry, the set of Noether point symmetries is usually a proper subset of the set of Lie point symmetries. One recalls that there is a one-to-one correspondence between a Noether symmetry and a conserved quantity which is not the case with Lie point symmetries for more than one degree of freedom. For example, in three-dimensions the \(\partial_t \) Lie symmetry of the Kepler problem corresponds to the energy, angular momentum vector, Ermanno-Bernoulli constants and Hamilton's vector, whereas the same symmetry as a Noether symmetry provides just the energy. Some minor points are the use of the expression `gauge term' for the boundary term \(f \); the description of the coefficient functions of Noether symmetry as `infinitesimal'; the mismatch between the meaning of total differentiation and its expression as a vector field following (3); the Lagrangian of \textit{F. Haas} and \textit{J. Goedert} [J. Phys. A, Math. Gen. 32, No.~39, 6837--6852 (1999; Zbl 0952.78007)], mentioned twice (pp 5 and 18), is missing to exponents; the symmetry at the bottom of p. 10 corresponds to setting the parameter \(\lambda \) equal to zero.