Related papers: Variational principles for conformal geodesics
Variationality of the equation of conformal geodesics is an important problem in geometry with applications to general relativity. Recently it was proven that, in three dimensions, this system of equations for un-parametrized curves is the…
Conformal geodesics form an invariantly defined family of unparametrized curves in a conformal manifold generalizing unparametrized geodesics/paths of projective connections. The equation describing them is of third order, and it was an…
We answer to the question whether a system of the 3rd order ODEs describes geodesics of a conformal structure. We construct a functor from a category of conformal geometries to a category of Cartan geometries associated to the 3rd order…
Variational and divergence symmetries are studied in this paper for the whole class of linear and nonlinear equations of maximal symmetry, and the associated first integrals are given in explicit form. All the main results obtained are…
New third- and fourth-order Lagrangian hierarchies are derived in this paper. The free coefficients in the leading terms satisfy the most general differential geometric criteria currently known for the existence of a variational…
We establish an in-in formalism for geodesic deviation as an alternative to Synge calculus, based on a covariant calculus of differential forms in tangent bundle. This derives the exact Lagrangian and equations governing the finite geodesic…
We discuss an elementary derivation of variational symmetries and corresponding integrals of motion for the Lagrangian systems depending on acceleration. Providing several examples, we make the manuscript accessible to a wide range of…
A conformal structure on a manifold $M^n$ induces natural second order conformally invariant operators, called M\"obius and Laplace structures, acting on specific weight bundles of $M$, provided that $n\ge 3$. By extending the notions of…
This note treats the notion of Lagrange derivative for the third order mechanics in the context of covariant Riemannian geometry. The variational differential equation for geodesic circles in two dimensions is obtained. The influence of the…
In a four-dimensional space, I shall construct all of the conformally invariant scalar-tensor field theories, which are flat space compatible; i.e., well-defined and differentiable when evaluated for a flat metric tensor and constant scalar…
This work presents higher order Lagrangian dynamics possessing locally conformal character. More concretely, locally conformal higher order Euler-Lagrange equations are written with particular focus on the second- and the third-order cases.
Variational and divergence symmetries are studied in this paper for linear equations of maximal symmetry in canonical form, and the associated first integrals are given in explicit form. All the main results obtained are formulated as…
We consider generalized gradients in the general context of $G$-structures. They are natural first order differential operators acting on sections of vector bundles associated to irreducible $G$-representations. We study their geometric…
With the aid of concrete examples, we consider the question of whether, in the presence of conformal curvature, a conformal geodesic can become trapped in smaller and smaller sets, or phrased informally: are spirals possible? We do not…
The exactness equation for Lepage 2-forms, associated with variational systems of ordinary differential equations on smooth manifolds, is analyzed with the aim to construct a concrete global variational principle. It is shown that locally…
We develop a geometric version of the inverse problem of the calculus of variations for discrete mechanics and constrained discrete mechanics. The geometric approach consists of using suitable Lagrangian and isotropic submanifolds. We also…
In this Thesis we develop the geometric formulations for higher-order autonomous and non-autonomous dynamical systems, and second-order field theories. In all cases, the physical information of the system is given in terms of a Lagrangian…
Hierarchies of Lagrangians of degree two, each only partly determined by the choice of leading terms and with some coefficients remaining free, are considered. The free coefficients they contain satisfy the most general differential…
We analyze the relation between the concept of auxiliary variables and the Inverse problem of the calculus of variations to construct a Lagrangian from a given set of equations of motion. The problem of the construction of a consistent…
The inverse problem of the calculus of variations consists in determining if the solutions of a given system of second order differential equations correspond with the solutions of the Euler-Lagrange equations for some regular Lagrangian.…