arXiv subjects

Xavier Rivas

Publications and source records attributed to Xavier Rivas.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Poisson and Jacobi structures from 2-covariant tensors

Poisson and Jacobi structures play a fundamental role in the geometric description of many systems arising in classical mechanics. In most cases, the corresponding bivector field is induced by a non-degenerate 2-covariant tensor. In this paper, we present a unified framework for constructing the associated brackets by studying the Poisson and Jacobi structures induced by these tensors. More specifically, under suitable assumptions on the tensor, we derive a formula for computing the Schouten-Nijenhuis bracket of the associated bivector field in terms of the curvature of a certain distribution and the exterior derivative of a differential form. This formula provides the obstruction to the existence of a Poisson or Jacobi structure. To illustrate the theory, we recover the classical brackets associated with symplectic, locally conformally symplectic, cosymplectic, and contact geometries. Finally, we characterize the conditions under which fat bundles and almost cosymplectic structures of order $p$ determine a Jacobi bracket.

math.DG↗

arXiv2026

Hamilton--Jacobi theory for non-conservative field theories in the $k$-contact framework

This article develops a Hamilton--Jacobi theory for non-conservative classical field theories, with particular emphasis on dissipative systems, in the framework of co-oriented k-contact geometry. We introduce evolution k-contact k-vector fields, extending the contact evolution formalism to field theories, and analyse the corresponding Hamilton--De Donder--Weyl equations. Moreover, we develop two distinct families of Hamilton--Jacobi theories: a z-independent approach, based on the reconstruction of the dynamics from an integrable k-vector field defined on the base manifold of $(\bigoplus^kT^*Q)\times\mathbb{R}^k\to Q$, and a z-dependent approach, where the integrable k-vector field is defined on the base manifold of $(\bigoplus^kT^*Q)\times\mathbb{R}^k\to Q\times\mathbb{R}^k$. We develop in detail the important case of Hamiltonian functions with affine dependence on the dissipative variables, show how quadratic dependence on these variables can be used structurally to enlarge the range of applications, and recover the ordinary contact Hamilton--Jacobi theory as the particular case k=1, while removing some technical assumptions appearing in previous formulations. Our theory is illustrated through several representative examples, including the telegrapher/Klein--Gordon equation, a dissipative Hunter--Saxton equation, a simple dissipative non-regular first-order field model, and a relativistic thermodynamic model.

math-ph↗

arXiv2026

Pairs of differential forms: a framework for precontact geometry

Precontact manifolds extend contact geometry by weakening the maximal non-integrability condition of the defining $1$-form. We clarify the geometric foundations of this structure by studying general pairs of a $1$-form and a $2$-form under mild regularity conditions. We characterize them through their class, analyse the role of distinguished vector fields, such as Reeb or Liouville fields, and study other associated geometrical objects. Precontact structures are then treated as the special case of pairs formed by a nowhere-vanishing $1$-form and its exterior derivative. We also define Hamiltonian dynamics on precontact manifolds. Several examples are presented to illustrate the theory.

math.DG↗

arXiv2026

Time-dependent metrics and connections

Time-dependent structures often appear in differential geometry, particularly in the study of non-autonomous differential equations on manifolds. One may study the geodesics associated with a time-dependent Riemannian metric by extremizing the corresponding energy functional, but also through the introduction of a more general concept of time-dependent covariant derivative operator. This relies on the examination of connections on the product manifold $\mathbb{R}\times M$. For these time-dependent covariant derivatives we explore the notions of parallel transport, geodesics and torsion. We also define the derivative of a one-parameter family of connections.

math.DG↗

arXiv2025

$k$-contact Lie systems: theory and applications

This paper introduces a new class of Lie systems that are Hamiltonian relative to a $k$-contact manifold. We show that a recent distributional approach to $k$-contact manifolds along with a related $k$-contact Hamiltonian vector field notion allow us to understand relevant Lie systems as Hamiltonian relative to a $k$-contact manifold. Our procedure is more general than previously known methods with this aim. As a result, we find that a plethora of Lie systems related to control and physical problems can be considered in a natural manner as $k$-contact Lie systems. We study their $t$-dependent and $t$-independent constants of motion, master symmetries of higher order, and other properties of interest. Finally, we use our new techniques and findings to study PDE Lie systems with a compatible $k$-contact manifold, some of which become Hamilton--De Donder--Weyl equations.

math.DG↗

arXiv2025

The evolution operator connecting the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms for contact systems

Some mechanical systems with dissipation can be described within the framework of the so-called contact mechanics: a modified form of the Euler-Lagrange equations stemming from Herglotz's variational principle, which admits a geometric formulation in terms of contact geometry. On the other hand, the study of singular Lagrangian systems and Dirac's theory of constraints can be enhanced by using the evolution operator $K$ that connects the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms. The main purpose of this paper is to transpose this evolution operator to the case of contact mechanics, and to study some of its main properties. In particular, we show that it provides a geometric description of the evolution equations and it relates the Hamiltonian and Lagrangian constraints. To illustrate the theory, we provide examples of singular contact systems based on modified versions of the simple pendulum and the Cawley Lagrangian.

math-ph↗

arXiv2025

Skinner--Rusk formalism of action-dependent multicontact field theories

The newly developed multicontact structure, based on contact and multisymplectic geometries, provides a very general geometrical framework suitable for the treatment of action-dependent classical field theories. Having successfully applied it to formulate the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian descriptions of these theories, in the present work, the well-known Skinner--Rusk formalism is presented in this multicontact setting, which allows us to provide a combined version of both Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms particularly suitable for the study and description of singular theories. As an application of this last situation, we study a modification of Maxwell's Lagrangian of classical electromagnetism, which incorporates action-dependent terms and allows us to describe electromagnetism in material media.

math-ph↗

arXiv2025

A survey on geometric frameworks for action-dependent classical field theories and their relationship

This work presents a comprehensive overview of three recently developed geometric frameworks for the study of classical action-dependent field theories. Specifically, the three underlying geometric structures - namely, k-contact, k-cocontact, and multicontact - are first introduced, and then used to develop the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms of the aforementioned theories. Finally, the relationship among these three types of structures is analyzed in the case of trivial bundles; as well as the comparison with other alternative definitions of multicontact structure presented in the literature.

math-ph↗

arXiv2025

Brackets in multicontact geometry and multisymplectization

In this paper we introduce a graded bracket of forms on multicontact manifolds. This bracket satisfies a graded Jacobi identity as well as two different versions of the Leibniz rule, one of them being a weak Leibniz rule, extending the well-known notions in contact geometry. In addition, we develop the multisymplectization of multicontact structures to relate these brackets to the ones present in multisymplectic geometry and obtain the field equations in an abstract context. The Jacobi bracket also permits to study the evolution of observables and study the dissipation phenomena, which we also address. Finally, we apply the results to classical dissipative field theories.

math.DG↗

arXiv2025

Symmetries and Noether's theorem for multicontact field theories

A geometric framework, called multicontact geometry, has recently been developed to study action-dependent field theories. In this work, we use this framework to analyze symmetries in action-dependent Lagrangian and Hamiltonian field theories, as well as their associated dissipation laws. Specifically, we establish the definitions of conserved and dissipated quantities, define the general symmetries of the field equations and the geometric structure, and examine their properties. The latter ones, referred to as Noether symmetries, lead to the formulation of a version of Noether's Theorem in this setting, which associates each of these symmetries with the corresponding dissipated quantity and the resulting conservation law.

math-ph↗

arXiv2024

Foundations on k-contact geometry

k-Contact geometry is a generalisation of contact geometry to analyse field theories. We develop an approach to k-contact geometry based on distributions that are distributionally maximally non-integrable and admit, locally, k commuting supplementary Lie symmetries: the k-contact distributions. We related k-contact distributions with Engel, Goursat and other distributions, which have mathematical and physical interest. We give necessary topological conditions for the existence of globally defined Lie symmetries, k-contact Lie groups are defined and studied, and we study and propose a k-contact Weinstein conjecture for co-oriented k-contact manifolds. Polarisations for k-contact distributions are introduced and it is shown that a polarised k-contact distribution is locally diffeomorphic to the Cartan distribution of the first-order jet bundle over a fibre bundle of order k. We relate k-contact manifolds to presymplectic and k-symplectic manifolds on fibre bundles of larger dimension and define types of submanifolds in k-contact geometry. We study Hamilton-De Donder-Weyl equations in Lie groups for the first time. A theory of k-contact Hamiltonian vector fields is developed, and we describe characteristics of Lie symmetries for first-order partial differential equations in a k-contact Hamiltonian manner. We use our techniques to analyse Hamilton-Jacobi and Dirac equations. Other potential applications of k-contact distributions to non-holonomic and control systems are briefly described.

math.DG↗

arXiv2024

Practical Introduction to Action-Dependent Field Theories

Action-dependent field theories are systems where the Lagrangian or Hamiltonian depends on new variables that encode the action. They model a larger class of field theories, including non-conservative behavior, while maintaining a well-defined notion of symmetries and a Noether theorem. This makes them especially suited for open systems. After a conceptual introduction, we make a quick presentation of a new mathematical framework for action-dependent field theory: multicontact geometry. The formalism is illustrated with a variety of action-dependent Lagrangians, some of which are regular and others singular, derived from well-known theories whose Lagrangians have been modified to incorporate action-dependent terms. Detailed computations are provided, including the constraint algorithm for the singular cases, in both the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms. These are the one-dimensional wave equation, the Klein-Gordon equation and the telegrapher equation, Maxwell's electromagnetism, Metric-affine gravity, the heat equation and Burguers' equation, the Bosonic string theory, and (2+1)-dimensional gravity and Chern-Simons equation.

hep-th↗

arXiv2023

A symplectic approach to Schr\"odinger equations in the infinite-dimensional unbounded setting

By using the theory of analytic vectors and manifolds modelled on normed spaces, we provide a rigorous symplectic differential geometric approach to $t$-dependent Schr\"odinger equations on separable (possibly infinite-dimensional) Hilbert spaces determined by unbounded $t$-dependent self-adjoint Hamiltonians satisfying a technical condition. As an application, the Marsden--Weinstein reduction procedure is employed to map above-mentioned $t$-dependent Schr\"odinger equations onto their projective spaces. Other applications of physical and mathematical relevance are also analysed.

math-ph↗

arXiv2023

An energy-momentum method for ordinary differential equations with an underlying $k$-polysymplectic manifold

This work presents a comprehensive review of the $k$-polysymplectic Marsden-Weinstein reduction theory, rectifying prior errors and inaccuracies in the literature while introducing novel findings. It also emphasises the genuine practical significance of seemingly minor technical details. On this basis, we introduce a novel $k$-polysymplectic energy-momentum method, new related stability analysis techniques, and apply them to Hamiltonian systems of ordinary differential equations relative to a $k$-polysymplectic manifold. We provide detailed examples of both physical and mathematical significance, including the study of complex Schwarz equations related to the Schwarz derivative, a series of isotropic oscillators, integrable Hamiltonian systems, quantum oscillators with dissipation, affine systems of differential equations, and polynomial dynamical systems.

math-ph↗

arXiv2023

On Darboux theorems for geometric structures induced by closed forms

This work reviews the classical Darboux theorem for symplectic, presymplectic, and cosymplectic manifolds (which are used to describe regular and singular mechanical systems), and certain cases of multisymplectic manifolds, and extends it in new ways to k-symplectic and k-cosymplectic manifolds (all these structures appear in the geometric formulation of first-order classical field theories). Moreover, we discuss the existence of Darboux theorems for classes of precosymplectic, k-presymplectic, k-precosymplectic, and premultisymplectic manifolds, which are the geometrical structures underlying some kinds of singular field theories. Approaches to Darboux theorems based on flat connections associated with geometric structures are given, while new results on polarisations for (k-)(pre)(co)symplectic structures arise.

math.DG↗

arXiv2023

Some contributions to k-contact Lagrangian field equations, symmetries and dissipation laws

It is well known that k-contact geometry is a suitable framework to deal with non-conservative field theories. In this paper, we study some relations between solutions of the k-contact Euler-Lagrange equations, symmetries, dissipation laws and Newtonoid vector fields. We review the k-contact Euler-Lagrange equations written in terms of k-vector fields and sections and provide new results relating the solutions in both approaches. We also study different kind of symmetries depending on the structures they preserve: natural (preserving the Lagrangian function), dynamical (preserving the solutions), and k-contact (preserving the underlying geometric structures) symmetries. For some of these symmetries, we provide Noether-like theorems relating symmetries and dissipation laws. We also analyse the relation between k-contact symmetries and Newtonoid vector fields. Throughout the paper, we will use the damped vibrating string as our main illustrative example.

math-ph↗

arXiv2022

Symmetries, conservation and dissipation in time-dependent contact systems

In contact Hamiltonian systems, the so-called dissipated quantities are akin to conserved quantities in classical Hamiltonian systems. In this paper, we prove a Noether's theorem for non-autonomous contact Hamiltonian systems, characterizing a class of symmetries which are in bijection with dissipated quantities. We also study other classes of symmetries which preserve (up to a conformal factor) additional structures, such as the contact form or the Hamiltonian function. Furthermore, making use of the geometric structures of the extended tangent bundle, we introduce additional classes of symmetries for time-dependent contact Lagrangian systems. Our results are illustrated with several examples. In particular, we present the two-body problem with time-dependent friction, which could be interesting in celestial mechanics.

math-ph↗

arXiv2022

The Herglotz variational principle for dissipative field theories

In the recent years, with the incorporation of contact geometry, there has been a renewed interest in the study of dissipative or non-conservative systems in physics and other areas of applied mathematics. The equations arising when studying contact Hamiltonian systems can also be obtained via the Herglotz variational principle. The contact Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms for mechanical systems has also been generalized to field theories. The main goal of this paper is to develop a generalization of the Herglotz variational principle for first-order and higher-order field theories. In order to illustrate this, we study three examples: the damped vibrating string, the Korteweg-De Vries equation, and an academic example showing that the non-holonomic and the vakonomic variational principles are not fully equivalent.

math-ph↗