Lax representations for separable systems from Benenti class (Q2330815)

Stäckel systems of the classical type are integrable and separable Hamiltonian ordinary differential equations. The constants of motion in these systems are quadratic in momenta, a common feature of physical systems in classical mechanics. The defining features of Stäckel systems are separation relations that describe how the Hamilton-Jacobi equations separate into a system of decoupled ordinary differential equations. The separation relations are represented by algebraic equations that have the form \(\sigma_i(\lambda_i) = \sum_{k=1}^{n}H_k S_{i k}(\lambda_i) = \frac{1}{2} f_i(\lambda_i) \mu_i^2\) for \(i =1,2,...,n\) where \(n\) represents the number of degrees of freedom of the system, \(H_1, H_2, ... ,H_n\) are Hamiltonians, \((\lambda_i, \mu_i)\) for \(i=1, 2, ...,n\) are the canonical variables, and \(f, \sigma\), and \(S\) are arbitrary smooth functions. If this system is solved with respect to all the \(H_i\), assuming det\((S) \ne 0\), there will be \(n\) Hamiltonians expressed in variables \((\lambda_i, \mu_i)\) \(i=1, ..., n\) that - by construction - will be in involution so that the Poisson brackets \(\{H_i, H_j\} = 0\), and such that the Hamiltonian-Jacobi equations separate. One group of particularly interesting Stäckel systems consist of those of the Benenti class. These are described by the separation relations \(\sigma_1(\lambda_i) + H_1\lambda_i^{n-1} + H_2\lambda_i^{n-2} + ... + H_n = \frac{1|}{2} f_i(\lambda_i)\mu_i^2\) for \(i = 1, 2, ..., n\). In this paper the authors describe an explicit form for an infinite family of Lax representations of an arbitrary Stäckel system from the Benenti class that is generated by a canonical form of separation curves defined by \(\sigma(\lambda) + \sum_{k=1}^{n} H_k\lambda^{n-k} = \frac{1}{2} f(\lambda)\mu^2\) where \(\lambda\) is real and functions \(f(\lambda)\) and \(\sigma(\lambda)\) are smooth and real-valued. The separation relations are then generated by \(n\) copies of this last expression with \((\lambda_i, \mu_i)\), \(i = 1,2, ..., n\). The authors also provide descriptions of the Lax representations in Viète coordinates, in which many formulas simplify.