On stability of equilibria in a pseudo-Riemannian space (Q6986429)

In this paper, the stability of systems whose kinetic energy \(T\) is a pseudo-Riemannian metric on the configuration space is analyzed. The equations of motion are given by the Lagrangian \(L=T-V,\) where \(V(x_1,\ldots,x_n)\) is the potential energy and \(T=\frac{1}{2}\sum a_{ij} (x)\dot x_i\dot x_j\) is a pseudo-Riemannian kinetic energy, that is the matrix \([a_{ij}(x)]\) is symmetric, non-singular for all values of \(x,\) and not positive definite.\N\NIn Section 1, some types of the above-mentioned systems are recalled.\N\NIn Section 2, the case of a linear system with two degrees of freedom is considered. The bifurcation diagram is discussed and the differences between the dynamics of systems with pseudo-Riemannian metric and that of usual natural system are pointed out.\N\NIn Section 3, the stability of multidimensional linear systems in pseudo-Euclidean space is presented. In particular, it is obtained that ``if \(V\) has a minimum or a maximum at the equilibrium, then the equilibrium is unstable''.\N\NSection 4 contains some results regarding the stability of nonlinear systems with two degrees of freedom.\N\NIn Section 5, multidimensional nonlinear systems are considered. The main theorem gives the instability of the origin as a local extremum point of the potential energy, under certain conditions.\N\NIn Section 6, the effect of additional forces on the stability of equilibria in a pseudo-Riemannian space is discussed. Two types of forces are considered, namely gyroscopic and dissipative forces. The classical Thomson-Tait theorems on the influence of additional forces on the stability of linear natural systems form the starting point of the analysis. In particular, the instability of an isolated equilibrium point in the case when dissipative forces with full energy dissipation is proved.\N\NIn Section 7, conditions for the stability of linear systems in the case of large gyroscopic forces are obtained.\N\NIn Section 8, some comments and open problems are presented.