Relative critical points

IPFS File on IPFS (Hint: this is only the Hash - if you get a timeout, this file is not available on our server.)

conservative systems mechanical systems with symmetry relative equilibria

Momentum maps; symplectic reduction (53D20) Group-invariant bifurcation theory in infinite-dimensional spaces (58E09) Symmetries and conservation laws, reverse symmetries, invariant manifolds and their bifurcations, reduction for problems in Hamiltonian and Lagrangian mechanics (70H33)

Abstract: Relative equilibria of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian systems with symmetry are critical points of appropriate scalar functions parametrized by the Lie algebra (or its dual) of the symmetry group. Setting aside the structures - symplectic, Poisson, or variational - generating dynamical systems from such functions highlights the common features of their construction and analysis, and supports the construction of analogous functions in non-Hamiltonian settings. If the symmetry group is nonabelian, the functions are invariant only with respect to the isotropy subgroup of the given parameter value. Replacing the parametrized family of functions with a single function on the product manifold and extending the action using the (co)adjoint action on the algebra or its dual yields a fully invariant function. An invariant map can be used to reverse the usual perspective: rather than selecting a parametrized family of functions and finding their critical points, conditions under which functions will be critical on specific orbits, typically distinguished by isotropy class, can be derived. This strategy is illustrated using several well-known mechanical systems - the Lagrange top, the double spherical pendulum, the free rigid body, and the Riemann ellipsoids - and generalizations of these systems.

Review text

This paper describes a new approach to the analysis of relative equilibria of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian systems with symmetry. Those relative equilibria are critical points of certain scalar functions parameterized by the Lie algebra of the symmetry group or by its dual. The author's formulation sets aside the usual geometric structures associated with Hamiltonian or Lagrangian mechanics. This approach enables application in more general settings. This new method separates those aspects of the analysis based on symmetry from the structures (symplectic, Poisson, or variational) that connect functions to dynamics.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThe key idea is to replace families of functions parameterized by the Lie algebra (or its dual) of the symmetry group by single functions on the product manifold, and to extend the adjoint (or coadjoint) action on the algebra or its dual. This leaves a fully invariant function. In contrast, the standard treatment for a system with a non-Abelian symmetry group leaves the function invariant only with respect to the isotropy subgroup corresponding to the given parameter value.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThe author illustrates this new formulation with examples from several well-known mechanical systems. These include the Lagrange top, the double spherical pendulum, the free rigid body, and Riemann ellipsoids.

Recommendations

Cited in

(4)

This page was built for publication: Relative critical points

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q352519)