Nonlocal and nonvariational extensions of Killing-type equations (Q1690361)

In their previous research the authors showed that to any perturbation \(\bar q(t)=q(t)+\epsilon \xi(t)\), with \(\epsilon\) in a real neighbourhood of \(0\), of solutions \(q(t)\) of the Euler-Lagrange equations \[ \frac d{dt}\frac{\partial L}{\partial \dot q}-\frac {\partial L}{\partial q}=0, \] for a smooth Lagrangian \(L\), it corresponds a non-local constant of motion \(N\) depending on \(L\) and \(\xi\). \(N\) is called non-local because it includes a definite integral computed from an initial time \(t_0\) up to \(t\). This result is generalized here to the case of non-variational Euler-Lagrange equations \[ \frac d{dt}\frac{\partial L}{\partial \dot q}-\frac {\partial L}{\partial q}=Q, \] and perturbations of the form \(\bar q(t)=q(t)+\epsilon \xi\) (being \(q\) a solution of the non-variational Euler-Lagrange equations), \(\bar t=t+\epsilon \tau \), with \(L\), \(Q\), \(\xi\), \(\tau\) functions of \((t,q,\dot q)\). It is shown that, when \(L\), \(Q\), \(\xi\), \(\tau\) satisfy certain equations of Killing-type, where \(L\) and \(Q\) are given and \(\xi\), \(\tau\) plus other two functions appearing into \(N\) are unknown, then the system admits nonlocal constants of motion. Different ways of solving these equations are considered, depending on assumptions on the dependence of the unknown functions from \(\dot q\) and \(\ddot q\). The Killing-type equations are solved in several examples (Lane-Emden, dissipative Maxwell-Bloch, particle in a homogeneous potential) and the corresponding nonlocal constants of motion are computed. The aim is to produce nonlocal constants of motion by using a Noether-type mechanism. In the examples, the links between nonlocal constants of motion and true first integrals are investigated.