Lagrangian reduction of nonholonomic discrete mechanical systems (Q983126)

The reviewed article deals with holonomic discrete mechanical systems that consist of quadruple \((Q, L_d, \mathcal{D}, \mathcal{D}_d)\) where \(Q\) is a differentiable manifold, \(\mathcal{D}\) is a subbundle of \(TQ\) (\(TQ\to\mathbb{R}\) is a smooth function on the tangent bundle of \(Q\)), \(L_d:Q\times Q\to\mathbb{R}\) is a smooth map, the discrete lagrangian, and \(\mathcal{D}_d\subset Q\times Q\) is a submanifold, the discrete kinematic constraints. The authors propose a process of lagrangian reduction and reconstruction for such systems in the presense of continuous group symmetry which action makes the configuration space a principal bundle. As illustration of these techniques the systems with Chaplygin and horizontal symmetries are studied. In the Chaplygin case the authors obtain intrinsic versions that specialize to the results of [\textit{J. C. Monforte}, Geometric control and numerical aspects of nonholonomic systems. Lecture Notes in Mathematics. 1793. Berlin: Springer (2002; Zbl 1009.70001)], while in the horizontal case the discrete version of a type of symmetry whose continuous counterpart had been studied in the cited monograph are found.