arXiv subjects

Christian Offen

Publications and source records attributed to Christian Offen.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Preservation of bifurcations of Hamiltonian boundary value problems under discretisation

We show that symplectic integrators preserve bifurcations of Hamiltonian boundary value problems and that nonsymplectic integrators do not. We provide a universal description of the breaking of umbilic bifurcations by nonysmplectic integrators. We discover extra structure induced from certain types of boundary value problems, including classical Dirichlet problems, that is useful to locate bifurcations. Geodesics connecting two points are an example of a Hamiltonian boundary value problem, and we introduce the jet-RATTLE method, a symplectic integrator that easily computes geodesics and their bifurcations. Finally, we study the periodic pitchfork bifurcation, a codimension-1 bifurcation arising in integrable Hamiltonian systems. It is not preserved by either symplectic on nonsymplectic integrators, but in some circumstances symplecticity greatly reduces the error.

math.NA↗

arXiv2019

Detection of high codimensional bifurcations in variational PDEs

We derive bifurcation test equations for A-series singularities of nonlinear functionals and, based on these equations, we propose a numerical method for detecting high codimensional bifurcations in parameter-dependent PDEs such as parameter-dependent semilinear Poisson equations. As an example, we consider a Bratu-type problem and show how high codimensional bifurcations such as the swallowtail bifurcation can be found numerically. In particular, our original contributions are (1) the use of the Infinite-dimensional Splitting Lemma, (2) the unified and simplified treatment of all A-series bifurcations, (3) the presentation in Banach spaces, i.e. our results apply both to the PDE and its (variational) discretization, (4) further simplifications for parameter-dependent semilinear Poisson equations (both continuous and discrete), and (5) the unified treatment of the continuous problem and its discretisation.

math.NA↗

arXiv2018

Symplectic integration of PDEs using Clebsch variables

Many PDEs (Burgers' equation, KdV, Camassa-Holm, Euler's fluid equations,...) can be formulated as infinite-dimensional Lie-Poisson systems. These are Hamiltonian systems on manifolds equipped with Poisson brackets. The Poisson structure is connected to conservation properties and other geometric features of solutions to the PDE and, therefore, of great interest for numerical integration. For the example of Burgers' equations and related PDEs we use Clebsch variables to lift the original system to a collective Hamiltonian system on a symplectic manifold whose structure is related to the original Lie-Poisson structure. On the collective Hamiltonian system a symplectic integrator can be applied. Our numerical examples show excellent conservation properties and indicate that the disadvantage of an increased phase-space dimension can be outweighed by the advantage of symplectic integration.

math.NA↗

arXiv2018

Symplectic integration of boundary value problems

Symplectic integrators can be excellent for Hamiltonian initial value problems. Reasons for this include their preservation of invariant sets like tori, good energy behaviour, nonexistence of attractors, and good behaviour of statistical properties. These all refer to {\em long-time} behaviour. They are directly connected to the dynamical behaviour of symplectic maps $φ\colon M\to M$ on the phase space under iteration. Boundary value problems, in contrast, are posed for fixed (and often quite short) times. Symplecticity manifests as a symplectic map $φ\colon M\to M'$ which is not iterated. Is there any point, therefore, for a symplectic integrator to be used on a Hamiltonian boundary value problem? In this paper we announce results that symplectic integrators preserve bifurcations of Hamiltonian boundary value problems and that nonsymplectic integrators do not.

math.NA↗

arXiv2018

Hamiltonian boundary value problems, conformal symplectic symmetries, and conjugate loci

In this paper we continue our study of bifurcations of solutions of boundary-value problems for symplectic maps arising as Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms. These have been shown to be connected to catastrophe theory via generating functions and ordinary and reversal phase space symmetries have been considered. Here we present a convenient, coordinate free framework to analyse separated Lagrangian boundary value problems which include classical Dirichlet, Neumann and Robin boundary value problems. The framework is then used to {prove the existence of obstructions arising from} conformal symplectic symmetries on the bifurcation behaviour of solutions to Hamiltonian boundary value problems. Under non-degeneracy conditions, a group action by conformal symplectic symmetries has the effect that the flow map cannot degenerate in a direction which is tangential to the action. This imposes restrictions on which singularities can occur in boundary value problems. Our results generalise classical results about conjugate loci on Riemannian manifolds to a large class of Hamiltonian boundary value problems with, for example, scaling symmetries.

math.DG↗

arXiv2018

Bifurcation of solutions to Hamiltonian boundary value problems

A bifurcation is a qualitative change in a family of solutions to an equation produced by varying parameters. In contrast to the local bifurcations of dynamical systems that are often related to a change in the number or stability of equilibria, bifurcations of boundary value problems are global in nature and may not be related to any obvious change in dynamical behaviour. Catastrophe theory is a well-developed framework which studies the bifurcations of critical points of functions. In this paper we study the bifurcations of solutions of boundary-value problems for symplectic maps, using the language of (finite-dimensional) singularity theory. We associate certain such problems with a geometric picture involving the intersection of Lagrangian submanifolds, and hence with the critical points of a suitable generating function. Within this framework, we then study the effect of three special cases: (i) some common boundary conditions, such as Dirichlet boundary conditions for second-order systems, restrict the possible types of bifurcations (for example, in generic planar systems only the A-series beginning with folds and cusps can occur); (ii) integrable systems, such as planar Hamiltonian systems, can exhibit a novel periodic pitchfork bifurcation; and (iii) systems with Hamiltonian symmetries or reversing symmetries can exhibit restricted bifurcations associated with the symmetry. This approach offers an alternative to the analysis of critical points in function spaces, typically used in the study of bifurcation of variational problems, and opens the way to the detection of more exotic bifurcations than the simple folds and cusps that are often found in examples.

math.SG↗