Euler equations on the general linear group, cubic curves, and inscribed hexagons
The authors study the equation \[ \frac d{dt} X=[X^2,A],\tag{1} \] where \(A\), \(X\in \mathfrak{gl}(3,\mathbb R)\), \(X\) is a \(t\)-dependent \(3\times 3\) matrix and \(A\) is constant. Equation (1) describes the Euler rigid body system (\(A\) symmetric, \(X\) skew-symmetric), the Bloch-Iserles system (\(A\) skew-symmetric, \(X\) symmetric) and travelling wave solutions in problems of optics, fluid dynamics and plasma physics (\(A\) Hermitian, \(X\) skew-Hermitian). It is shown that (1) is equivalent to the Lax equation \[ \frac d{dt} X_\lambda=[X_\lambda,Y_\lambda], \] with \(X_\lambda=X+\lambda A\), \(Y_\lambda=AX+XA+\lambda A^2\), \(\lambda \in \mathbb C\). Then, for any \(X\) the spectral curve \[ C_X=\{(z_1:z_2:z_3)\in \mathbb{CP}^2|\det (z_3X+z_1A-z_2\text{Id})=0\}, \] a real projective cubic, invariant of (1), is constructed. The study of a given cubic \(C\) of the above form reveals the topology of the set of matrices \(X\) such that \(C=C_X\), how many connected components this set possesses, the global behavior of the solutions of (1) on each connected component and whether the solutions blow up or exist for any \(t\). Moreover, given a matrix \(X\), for each of the three asymptotes of the spectral curve \(C_X\), two lines parallel to the asymptote are determined. All these lines determine an hexagon inscribed into \(C_X\). These inscribed hexagons are time-dependent, but they can assume only a few types of configurations, again invariant under (1), determined by the behavior of the solutions of (1). In particular, the configuration types of the hexagons allow to discriminate between global and blow-up solutions for a given initial \(X\). As an example, the procedure is applied to the case of the rigid body dynamics. The article is self-contained and very well written.
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