Un-reduction (Q420290)

The authors give a complete geometrical descriptions of a new technique called ``un-reduction'' for solving dynamical and optimal problems posed on spaces that are unwieldy for numerical implementation. Given two smooth manifolds \(M\) and \(N\), the shape space of \(M\)-type submanifolds of \(N\) may be identified with the quotient space \(\Sigma:=\text{Emb}(M,N)/\text{Diff}(M)\), that is, the space of embeddings of \(M\) into \(N\) up to re-parametrization of \(M\). An example of particular interest is the shape space of all closed, simple, planar unparametrized curves, given by \(\Sigma=\text{Emb}(S^{1},\mathbb{R}^{2})/\text{Diff}(S^{1}).\) In order to compare two shapes, a natural way to proceed is to construct a path between them. This is known as the matching problem. As an example, the matching problem for closed, simple planar curves may be stated as follows: Let \(\rho_{0}\) and \(\rho_{1}\) be two smooth submanifolds in \(\mathbb{R}^{2}\) of \(S^{1}\)-type. Find a path of submanifolds of \(S^{1}\)-type, \(\rho(t),\) such that \(\rho(0)=\rho_{0}\) and \(\rho(1)=\rho_{1}.\) The preferred path is selected in such a way that it minimizes the functional \(\displaystyle{\int_{0}^{1}l^{\Sigma}(\rho,\dot{\rho})dt}\) subjected to the boundary conditions \(\rho(0)=\rho_{0}\) and \(\rho(1)=\rho_{1},\) where \(\Sigma\) denotes the space of all submanifolds of \(S^{1}\)-type in the plane and \(l^{\Sigma}:T\Sigma\rightarrow\mathbb{R}\) is a Lagrangian defined on the tangent bundle of \(\Sigma.\) The solution to the matching problem satisfies the Euler-Lagrange equations \[ \displaystyle{\frac{d}{dt}\frac{\delta l^{\Sigma}}{\delta\dot{\rho}}-\frac{\delta l^{\Sigma}}{\delta\rho}=0}. \] In order to make sense for the relevant Euler-Lagrange equations, \(\Sigma\) must be endowed with a smooth manifold structure. The aim of this article is to investigate alternative formulations of the matching problem in such a way that their solutions are tractable to a practical implementation.