arXiv subjects

Jean-Paul Gauthier

Publications and source records attributed to Jean-Paul Gauthier.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Motion Planning for Kinematic systems

In this paper, we present a general theory of motion planning for kinematic systems. This theory has been developed for long by one of the authors in a previous series of papers. It is mostly based upon concepts from subriemannian geometry. Here, we summarize the results of the theory, and we improve on, by developping in details an intricated case: the ball with a trailer, which corresponds to a distribution with flag of type 2,3,5,6. This paper is dedicated to Bernard Bonnard for his 60th birthday.

math.OC↗

arXiv2011

On 2-step, corank 2 nilpotent sub-Riemannian metrics

In this paper we study the nilpotent 2-step, corank 2 sub-Riemannian metrics that are nilpotent approximations of general sub-Riemannian metrics. We exhibit optimal syntheses for these problems. It turns out that in general the cut time is not equal to the first conjugate time but has a simple explicit expression. As a byproduct of this study we get some smoothness properties of the spherical Hausdorff measure in the case of a generic 6 dimensional, 2-step corank 2 sub-Riemannian metric.

math.OC↗

arXiv2010

Hypoelliptic heat kernel on 3-step nilpotent Lie groups

In this paper we provide explicitly the connection between the hypoelliptic heat kernel for some 3-step sub-Riemannian manifolds and the quartic oscillator. We study the left-invariant sub-Riemannian structure on two nilpotent Lie groups, namely the (2,3,4) group (called the Engel group) and the (2,3,5) group (called the Cartan group or the generalized Dido problem). Our main technique is noncommutative Fourier analysis that permits to transform the hypoelliptic heat equation in a one dimensional heat equation with a quartic potential.

math.AP↗

arXiv2008

The intrinsic hypoelliptic Laplacian and its heat kernel on unimodular Lie groups

We present an invariant definition of the hypoelliptic Laplacian on sub-Riemannian structures with constant growth vector, using the Popp's volume form introduced by Montgomery. This definition generalizes the one of the Laplace-Beltrami operator in Riemannian geometry. In the case of left-invariant problems on unimodular Lie groups we prove that it coincides with the usual sum of squares. We then extend a method (first used by Hulanicki on the Heisenberg group) to compute explicitly the kernel of the hypoelliptic heat equation on any unimodular Lie group of type I. The main tool is the noncommutative Fourier transform. We then study some relevant cases: SU(2), SO(3), SL(2) (with the metrics inherited by the Killing form), and the group SE(2) of rototranslations of the plane. Our study is motivated by some recent results about the cut and conjugate loci on these sub-Riemannian manifolds. The perspective is to understand how singularities of the sub-Riemannian distance reflect on the kernel of the corresponding hypoelliptic heat equation.

math.AP↗

arXiv2002

On the $K+P$ Problem for a Three-level Quantum System: Optimality Implies Resonance

We apply techniques of subriemannian geometry on Lie groups to laser-induced population transfer in a three-level quantum system. The aim is to induce transitions by two laser pulses, of arbitrary shape and frequency, minimizing the pulse energy. We prove that the Hamiltonian system given by the Pontryagin Maximum Principle is completely integrable, since this problem can be stated as a ``$\k\oplus\p$ problem'' on a simple Lie group. Optimal trajectories and controls are exhausted. The main result is that optimal controls correspond to lasers that are ``in resonance''.

math.OC↗