Continuous and discrete Clebsch variational principles

Abstract: The Clebsch method provides a unifying approach for deriving variational principles for continuous and discrete dynamical systems where elements of a vector space are used to control dynamics on the cotangent bundle of a Lie group emph{via} a velocity map. This paper proves a reduction theorem which states that the canonical variables on the Lie group can be eliminated, if and only if the velocity map is a Lie algebra action, thereby producing the Euler-Poincar'e (EP) equation for the vector space variables. In this case, the map from the canonical variables on the Lie group to the vector space is the standard momentum map defined using the diamond operator. We apply the Clebsch method in examples of the rotating rigid body and the incompressible Euler equations. Along the way, we explain how singular solutions of the EP equation for the diffeomorphism group (EPDiff) arise as momentum maps in the Clebsch approach. In the case of finite dimensional Lie groups, the Clebsch variational principle is discretised to produce a variational integrator for the dynamical system. We obtain a discrete map from which the variables on the cotangent bundle of a Lie group may be eliminated to produce a discrete EP equation for elements of the vector space. We give an integrator for the rotating rigid body as an example. We also briefly discuss how to discretise infinite-dimensional Clebsch systems, so as to produce conservative numerical methods for fluid dynamics.

Review text

The authors deal with variational principles defined by the action (or cost for the optimal control problem) \[ S=\int l[\mathbf{\xi}(t)]dt, \eqno{(1)} \] whose Lagrangian (or cost functional) \(l: V\to \mathbb{R}\) is defined on vectors \(\mathbf{\xi}\) in a vector space \(V\), subject to a condition imposed by a velocity map from the vector space \(V\) to the tangent space \(T_{Q}M\) of a manifold \(M\) at the point \(\mathbf{Q}\;\) \(\;\mathcal{L}_{\xi}:V\times M \to T_{{Q}}M\). The velocity map \(\mathcal{L}_{\xi}\) introduces the dynamics, \[ \dot{\mathbf{Q}}(t)=\mathcal{L}_{\xi}\mathbf{Q}(t), \eqno{(2)} \] where \(\mathbf{\xi}\in V\) and \( \dot{\mathbf{Q}} \in T_{{Q}}M \) is tangent to the curve \(\mathbf{Q}(t)\) in the manifold \(M\). Such variational principles arise in two different contexts: \begin{itemize}\item[1.] The optimal control context, in which one seeks solutions for \(\mathbf{Q}(t)\) governed by the dynamics (2) that control the motion along a curve in an interval \(0\leq t \leq T,\) so as to minimize the cost in (1) for a given cost functional \(l[\mathbf{\xi}]\). \item[2.] The Hamilton's principle context, in which stationarity \(\delta S=0\) of the action in (1) implies dynamical equations for \(\mathbf{\xi}\) subject to the constraint imposed by the velocity map (2). The Clebsch approach enforces (2) through a Lagrange multiplier term in the action or cost. Doing so produces dynamical equations for \(\mathbf{Q}\) and for the Lagrange multiplier \(\mathbf{P}\) in terms of \(\mathbf{\xi}\), together with a formula for \(\mathbf{\xi}\) given in terms of \(\mathbf{Q}\) and \(\mathbf{P}\). The Lagrangian multiplier \(\mathbf{P}\) is also the canonically conjugate momentum for \(\mathbf{Q}\) in the corresponding Hamiltonian formulation, and the formula for \(\mathbf{\xi}\) in terms of \(\mathbf{Q}\) and \(\mathbf{P}\) has special significance in the Hamiltonian frame-work. It is shown that \(\mathbf{Q}\) and \(\mathbf{P}\) may be eliminated from the resulting Clebsch equations, if and only if the velocity map \(\mathcal{L}_{\xi}\) is a Lie algebra action on \(\mathbf{Q} \in M.\) The Clebsch framework for velocity maps thus has a clear connection with the theory of Euler-Poincaré reduction; namely, the equations obtained are the Euler-Poincaré equations on the dual of the Lie algebra. For the continuous time case where the velocity map is assumed to be a Lie derivative, this connection is not unexpected. Examples included the finite-dimensional rigid body equation, and two infinite-dimensional examples: the singular solutions of the EPDiff equation and the incompressible Euler equation. In the EPDiff example, the Clebsch framework derives the singular solutions as a family of momentum maps. Also it is shown how discrete Clebsch variational principles can be used to produce numerical methods for Clebsch equations.\end{itemize}

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