Superposition rules and second-order Riccati equations (Q542591)

The authors consider various generalizations of the notion of superposition rule of ODEs to second-order systems of ordinary differential equations. These generalized superposition rules are analyzed and characterized in terms of Lie systems and quasi-Lie schemes [\textit{J. F. Cariñena, J. Grabowski} and \textit{J. de Lucas}, ``Quasi-Lie schemes: theory and applications'', J. Phys. A, Math. Theor. 42, No.~33, Article ID 335206 (2009; Zbl 1193.34011)]. This leads to the fact that systems of the type \[ \ddot{x}_{i}= \phi(t,x_{i},\dot{x}_{i}) \] admit a (time-dependent) superposition rule. As applications of this powerful approach, a new superposition rule is found for equations of the type \(\ddot{x}+3 x \dot{x}+ x^3- f(t)=0\), and time-dependent superposition rules for second-order Riccati equations are constructed. As illustrated in the examples, the methods developed in this paper are of potential interest in the analysis of integrable systems.