arXiv subjects

T. Mestdag

Publications and source records attributed to T. Mestdag.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Variational Inverse Problems for Second Order ODEs with and without Constraints

Many physical systems with or without nonholonomic constraints have a Lagrangian description. In the first case, the Lagrangian model can be represented by second-order ODEs that are constrained to a submanifold of velocities; in the latter case the ODEs are unconstrained. In this paper, using geometric techniques, we address the more general inverse problem: ``When can a given constrained or unconstrained system of second order ODEs on a manifold be the representation of a Lagrangian model?''. We show that the constrained case has many more ambiguities and complexities than its well-understood, unconstrained counterpart.

math.DG↗

arXiv2021

Homogeneous nonlinear splittings and Finsler submersions

A nonlinear splitting on a fibre bundle is a generalization of an Ehresmann connection. An example is given by the homogeneous nonlinear splitting of a Finsler function on the total manifold of a fibre bundle. We show how homogeneous nonlinear splittings and nonlinear lifts can be used to construct submersions between Euclidean, Minkowski and Finsler spaces. As an application we consider a semisimple Lie algebra and use our methods to give new examples of Finsler functions on a reductive homogeneous space.

math.DG↗

arXiv2021

Nonlinear splittings on fibre bundles

We introduce the notion of a nonlinear splitting on a fibre bundle as a generalization of an Ehresmann connection. We present its basic properties and we pay attention to the special cases of affine, homogeneous and principal nonlinear splittings. We explain where nonlinear splittings appear in the context of Lagrangian systems and Finsler geometry and we show their relation to Routh symmetry reduction, submersive second-order differential equations and unreduction. We define a curvature map for a nonlinear splitting, and we indicate where this concept appears in the context of nonholonomic systems with affine constraints and Lagrangian systems of magnetic type.

math.DG↗

arXiv2021

Compatibility aspects of the method of phase synchronization for decoupling linear second-order differential equations

The so-called method of phase synchronization has been advocated in a number of papers as a way of decoupling a system of linear second-order differential equations by a linear transformation of coordinates and velocities. This is a rather unusual approach because velocity-dependent transformations in general do not preserve the second-order character of differential equations. Moreover, at least in the case of linear transformations, such a velocity-dependent one defines by itself a second-order system, which need not have anything to do, in principle, with the given system or its reformulation. This aspect, and the related questions of compatibility it raises, seem to have been overlooked in the existing literature. The purpose of this paper is to clarify this issue and to suggest topics for further research in conjunction with the general theory of decoupling in a differential geometric context.

math.DG↗

arXiv2020

Jacobi fields and conjugate points for a projective class of sprays

We investigate Jacobi fields and conjugate points in the context of sprays. We first prove that the conjugate points of a spray remain preserved under a projective change. Then, we establish conditions on the projective factor so that the projectively deformed spray meets the conditions of a proposition that ensures the existence of conjugate points. We discuss our methods by means of illustrative examples, throughout the paper.

math.DG↗

arXiv2019

Conjugate points for systems of second-order ordinary differential equations

We recall the notion of Jacobi fields, as it was extended to systems of second-order ordinary differential equations. Two points along a base integral curve are conjugate if there exists a non-trivial Jacobi field along that curve that vanishes on both points. Based on arguments that involve the eigendistributions of the Jacobi endomorphism, we discuss conjugate points for a certain generalization (to the current setting) of locally symmetric spaces. Next, we study conjugate points along relative equilibria of Lagrangian systems with a symmetry Lie group. We end the paper with some examples and applications.

math.DG↗

arXiv2016

The inverse problem of the calculus of variations and the stabilization of controlled Lagrangian systems

We apply methods of the so-called `inverse problem of the calculus of variations' to the stabilization of an equilibrium of a class of two-dimensional controlled mechanical systems. The class is general enough to include, among others, the inverted pendulum on a cart and the inertia wheel pendulum. By making use of a condition that follows from Douglas' classification, we derive feedback controls for which the control system is variational. We then use the energy of a suitable controlled Lagrangian to provide a stability criterion for the equilibrium.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

A generalization of Szebehely's inverse problem of dynamics in dimension three

Extending a previous paper, we present a generalization in dimension 3 of the traditional Szebehely-type inverse problem. In that traditional setting, the data are curves determined as the intersection of two families of surfaces, and the problem is to find a potential V such that the Lagrangian L = T - V, where T is the standard Euclidean kinetic energy function, generates integral curves which include the given family of curves. Our more general way of posing the problem makes use of ideas of the inverse problem of the calculus of variations and essentially consists of allowing more general kinetic energy functions, with a metric which is still constant, but need not be the standard Euclidean one. In developing our generalization, we review and clarify different aspects of the existing literature on the problem and illustrate the relevance of the newly introduced additional freedom with many examples.

math-ph↗

arXiv2015

Symmetry reduction, integrability and reconstruction in k-symplectic field theory

We investigate the reduction process of a k-symplectic field theory whose Lagrangian is invariant under a symmetry group. We give explicit coordinate expressions of the resulting reduced partial differential equations, the so-called Lagrange-Poincare field equations. We discuss two issues about reconstructing a solution from a given solution of the reduced equations. The first one is an interpretation of the integrability conditions, in terms of the curvatures of some connections. The second includes the introduction of the concept of a k-connection to provide a reconstruction method. We show that an invariant Lagrangian, under suitable regularity conditions, defines a `mechanical' k-connection.

math-ph↗

arXiv2014

Finsler geodesics of Lagrangian systems through Routh reduction

We make use of a symmetry reduction technique called Routh reduction to show that the solutions of the Euler-Lagrange equations of a strongly convex autonomous Lagrangian which lie on a specific energy level can be thought of as geodesics of an associated Finsler function.

math.DG↗

arXiv2014

Reduced dynamics and Lagrangian submanifolds of symplectic manifolds

In this paper, we will see that the symplectic creed by Weinstein "everything is a Lagrangian submanifold" also holds for Hamilton-Poincaré and Lagrange-Poincaré reduction. In fact, we show that solutions of the Hamilton-Poincaré equations and of the Lagrange-Poincaré equations are in one-to-one correspondence with distinguished curves in a Lagrangian submanifold of a symplectic manifold. For this purpose, we will combine the concept of a Tulczyjew triple with Marsden-Weinstein symplectic reduction.

math.DG↗

arXiv2013

A generalization of Szebehely's inverse problem of dynamics

The so-called inverse problem of dynamics is about constructing a potential for a given family of curves. We observe that there is a more general way of posing the problem by making use of ideas of another inverse problem, namely the inverse problem of the calculus of variations. We critically review and clarify different aspects of the current state of the art of the problem (mainly restricted to the case of planar curves), and then develop our more general approach.

math-ph↗

arXiv2013

A class of Finsler surfaces whose geodesics are circles

We determine all Finsler metrics of Randers type for which the Riemannian part is a scalar multiple of the Euclidean metric, on an open subset of the Euclidean plane, whose geodesics are circles. We show that the Riemannian part must be of constant Gaussian curvature, and that for every such Riemannian metric there is a class of Randers metrics satisfying the condition, determined up to the addition of a total derivative, depending on a single parameter. As one of several applications we exhibit a Finsler metric whose geodesics are the oriented horocycles in the Poincare disk, in each of the two possible orientations.

math.DG↗

arXiv2013

Hilbert forms for a Finsler metrizable projective class of sprays

The projective Finsler metrizability problem deals with the question whether a projective-equivalence class of sprays is the geodesic class of a (locally or globally defined) Finsler function. In this paper we use Hilbert-type forms to state a number of different ways of specifying necessary and sufficient conditions for this to be the case, and we show that they are equivalent. We also address several related issues of interest including path spaces, Jacobi fields, totally-geodesic submanifolds of a spray space, and the equivalence of path geometries and projective-equivalence classes of sprays.

math.DG↗

arXiv2012

The multiplier approach to the projective Finsler metrizability problem

This paper is concerned with the problem of determining whether a projective-equivalence class of sprays is the geodesic class of a Finsler function. We address both the local and the global aspects of this problem. We present our results entirely in terms of a multiplier, that is, a type (0,2) tensor field along the tangent bundle projection. In the course of the analysis we consider several related issues of interest including the positivity and strong convexity of positively-homogeneous functions, the relation to the so-called Rapcsák conditions, some peculiarities of the two-dimensional case, and geodesic convexity for sprays.

math.DG↗

arXiv2011

Time-dependent kinetic energy metrics for Lagrangians of electromagnetic type

We extend the results obtained in a previous paper about a class of Lagrangian systems which admit alternative kinetic energy metrics to second-order mechanical systems with explicit time-dependence. The main results are that a time-dependent alternative metric will have constant eigenvalues, and will give rise to a time-dependent coordinate transformation which partially decouples the system.

math-ph↗

arXiv2011

Hamiltonization and geometric integration of nonholonomic mechanical systems

In this paper we study a Hamiltonization procedure for mechanical systems with velocity-depending (nonholonomic) constraints. We first rewrite the nonholonomic equations of motion as Euler-Lagrange equations, with a Lagrangian that follows from rephrasing the issue in terms of the inverse problem of Lagrangian mechanics. Second, the Legendre transformation transforms the Lagrangian in the sought-for Hamiltonian. As an application, we compare some variational integrators for the new Lagrangians with some known nonholonomic integrators.

math-ph↗

arXiv2011

Involutive distributions and dynamical systems of second-order type

We investigate the existence of coordinate transformations which bring a given vector field on a manifold equipped with an involutive distribution into the form of a second-order differential equation field with parameters. We define associated connections and we give a coordinate-independent criterion for determining whether the vector field is of quadratic type. Further, we investigate the underlying global bundle structure of the manifold under consideration, induced by the vector field and the involutive distribution.

math.DG↗