Variational and optimal control approaches for the second-order Herglotz problem on spheres (Q2322363)

The scenario is the \(n\)-sphere \(S^n = \{p \in \mathbb{R}^{n+1}; \langle p, \, p \rangle = 1\}.\) The tangent space \(T_pS^n\) of \(S^n\) at a point \(p \in S^n\) is \[ T_pS^n = \{v \in \mathbb{R}^{n+1}; \langle v, \, p \rangle = 0\} \, . \] The covariant derivative \(DY(x(t))/dt\) of a vector field \(Y(x)\) along a curve \(x(t) \in S^n\) is the orthogonal projection of \(dY(x(t))/dt\) onto \(T_{x(t)}S^n:\) \[ \frac{DY(x(t))}{dt} = \frac{dY(x(t))}{dt} - \Big \langle \frac{dY(x(t))}{dt}, \, x(t) \Big \rangle x(t) \, . \] Covariant derivatives of higher order are defined inductively. The variational problem is: minimize the final value \(z(T)\) of the scalar function \(z(t)\) that satisfies the initial value problem \[ z'(t) = L\Big(t, x(t), x'(t), \frac{D^2 x(t)}{dt^2}, z(t) \Big) \quad (0 \le t \le T), \qquad z(0) = z_0, \] where \(x(t) \in S^n\) satisfies the initial and final conditions \[ x(0) = x_0, \quad x(T ) = x_T , \qquad x'(0) = v_0, \quad x'(T) = v_T \] with \(z_0, z_T \in S^n,\) \(v_0 \in T_{x(0)}(S^n),\) \(v_T \in T_{x(T)}(S^n).\) Under suitable smoothness conditions on the Lagrangian \(L\) the authors deduce a necessary condition (generalized Euler-Lagrange equation) for the minimum and then rewrite the problem as a control problem. The motivation is the generalization of the Euler-Lagrange variational setup to nonconservative and dissipative processes. There are two applications, the first an equation for cubic polynomials in \(S^n\), the second the equation of a simple pendulum moving in a resistive medium.