How to find discrete contact symmetries (Q4498237)

Extending a method to construct discrete point symmetries from a previous paper [Proc. R. Soc. Lond., Ser. A, Math. Phys. Eng. Sci. 454, No. 1975, 1961-1972 (1998; Zbl 0923.34004)], the author gives a procedure to compute discrete contact symmetries for ODEs if the Lie algebra \(L\) of continuous contact symmetries is known. The method is based on the fact, that an arbitrary (i.e. also discrete) contact symmetry gives by the adjoined action an automorphism of \(L\). If a vector field base of \(L\) is fixed this leads to corresponding differential equations for the corresponding coordinate functions. Together with the contact and symmetry conditions one gets a high coupled system of nonlinear differential equations for these functions. Solving this system and ``factoring out'' the continuous contact symmetries give a generating system of discrete symmetries. There are presented good examples, the case of second-order ODEs is included by regarding uniform contact symmetries and an example illustrating a corresponding PDE version is given.