Lagrangian formulation, a general relativity analogue, and a symmetry of the Vialov equation of glaciology

Valerio Faraoni

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arXiv · 2011.00356

Lagrangian formulation, a general relativity analogue, and a symmetry of the Vialov equation of glaciology

Valerio Faraoni

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Abstract

Using a suitable rescaling of the independent variable, a Lagrangian is found for the nonlinear Vialov equation ruling the longitudinal profiles of glaciers and ice caps in the shallow ice approximation. This leads to a formal analogy between the (rescaled) Vialov equation and the Friedmann equation of relativistic cosmology, which is explored. This context provides a new symmetry of the (rescaled) Vialov equation and gives, at least formally, all its solutions using a generating function, which is the Nye profile for the degenerate case of perfectly plastic ice.

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Valerio Faraoni. 2020-10-31. Lagrangian formulation, a general relativity analogue, and a symmetry of the Vialov equation of glaciology. https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.00356

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