Morse families and Dirac systems

General theory of finite-dimensional Hamiltonian and Lagrangian systems, Hamiltonian and Lagrangian structures, symmetries, invariants (37J06) Completely integrable finite-dimensional Hamiltonian systems, integration methods, integrability tests (37J35) Relations of finite-dimensional Hamiltonian and Lagrangian systems with topology, geometry and differential geometry (symplectic geometry, Poisson geometry, etc.) (37J39) Lagrangian submanifolds; Maslov index (53D12) Constrained dynamics, Dirac's theory of constraints (70H45)

Abstract: Dirac structures and Morse families are used to obtain a geometric formalism that unifies most of the scenarios in mechanics (constrained calculus, nonholonomic systems, optimal control theory, higher-order mechanics, etc.), as the examples in the paper show. This approach generalizes the previous results on Dirac structures associated with Lagrangian submanifolds. An integrability algorithm in the sense of Mendela, Marmo and Tulczyjew is described for the generalized Dirac dynamical systems under study to determine the set where the implicit differential equations have solutions.

Review text

Dirac structures were introduced by \textit{T. Courant} and \textit{A. Weinstein} as a unified approach to both pre-symplectic and Poisson geometries [\textit{T. J. Courant}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 319, No. 2, 631--661 (1990; Zbl 0850.70212); \textit{T. Courant} and \textit{A. Weinstein}, Trav. Cours 27, 39--49 (1988; Zbl 0698.58020)]. One of the motivations behind the definition of Dirac structures was the study of constrained systems, including the celebrated case of the constrained bracket induced by a degenerate Lagrangian function first studied by \textit{P. A. M. Dirac} [Can. J. Math. 2, 129--148 (1950; Zbl 0036.14104)]. The infinite-dimensional analogue was introduced by \textit{I. Y. Dorfman} [Phys. Lett. A, 125, 240--246 (1987)] in the context of integrable evolution equations. A unified approach to Dirac systems, based on the more general notion of Dirac algebroids, was provided by \textit{K. Grabowska} and \textit{J. Grabowski} [J. Geom. Phys. 61, No. 11, 2233--2253 (2011; Zbl 1223.37064)]. In the present paper the authors take an alternative point of view and generalize Dirac systems in such a way that the dynamics is defined by means of a Lagrangian submanifold of the phase space. They use Morse families to generate those Lagrangian submanifolds, following their approach for optimal control problems [\textit{M. Barbero-Liñán} et al., SIAM J. Control Optim. 53, No. 1, 414--433 (2015; Zbl 1319.49028)]. With this notion of generalized Dirac system they are able to recover many examples in the literature in a unified intrinsic formalism; these include nonholonomic and vakonomic mechanics, optimal control problems and constrained problems on linear almost Poisson manifolds.

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