Related papers: Differential equations and conformal structures
We characterise $n$th order ODEs for which the space of solutions $M$ is equipped with a particular paraconformal structure in the sense of \cite{BE}, that is a splitting of the tangent bundle as a symmetric tensor product of rank-two…
We study five dimensional geometries associated with the 5-dimensional irreducible representation of GL(2,R). These are special Weyl geometries in signature (3,2) having the structure group reduced from CO(3,2) to GL(2,R). The reduction is…
This paper investigates the relationship between a system of differential equations and the underlying geometry associated with it. The geometry of a surface determines shortest paths, or geodesics connecting nearby points, which are…
Whereas Lie had linearized scalar second order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by point transformations and later Chern had extended to the third order by using contact transformation, till recently no work had been done for higher…
On a $3$D manifold, a Weyl geometry consists of pairs $(g, A) =$ (metric, $1$-form) modulo gauge $\widehat{g} = {\rm e}^{2\varphi} g$, $\widehat{A} = A + {\rm d}\varphi$. In 1943, Cartan showed that every solution to the Einstein-Weyl…
Using Cartan equivalence method, invariant coframes are constructed for two branches of rank one and zero, which characterize linearizable third-order ODEs under contact transformations with four- and five-dimensional Lie symmetry algebras,…
These are lecture notes of the Summer school on the geometry of differential equations held in Nordfjordeid, Norway in 1996. They cover geometric structures related to scalar second order ODEs, the construction of the associated Cartan…
The paper is based on relations between a ternary symmetric form defining the SO(3) geometry in dimension five and Cartan's works on isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres. As observed by Bryant such a ternary form exists only in dimensions…
We discuss the twistor correspondence between path geometries in three dimensions with vanishing Wilczynski invariants and anti-self-dual conformal structures of signature $(2, 2)$. We show how to reconstruct a system of ODEs with vanishing…
A link between first-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and 2-dimensional Riemannian manifolds is explored. Given a first-order ODE, an associated Riemannian metric on the variable space is defined, and some properties of the…
Let y''' = f(x, y, y', y'') be a 3rd order ODE. By Cartan equivalence method, we will study the local equivalence problem under the transformations group of time-fixed coordinates.
We characterize Lorentzian three-dimensional hyper-CR Einstein-Weyl structures in terms of invariants of the associated third order ordinary differential equations.
The Cartan equivalence method is applied to provide an invariant characterization of the third-order ordinary differential equation $u'''=f(x,u,u',u'')$ which admits a five-dimensional point symmetry Lie algebra. The invariant…
We solve the local equivalence problem for second order (smooth or analytic) ordinary differential equations. We do so by presenting a {\em complete convergent normal form} for this class of ODEs. The normal form is optimal in the sense…
We consider Legendrian contact structures on odd-dimensional complex analytic manifolds. We are particularly interested in integrable structures, which can be encoded by compatible complete systems of second order PDEs on a scalar function…
We introduce in this paper normal twistor equations for differential forms and study their solutions, the so-called normal conformal Killing forms. The twistor equations arise naturally from the canonical normal Cartan connection of…
Let $dx_i/dt=f_i(x_1,\cdots,x_n)$, ($i=1,\cdots,n$) be a system of $n$ first order autonomous ordinary differential equations. We use E. Cartan's equivalence method to study the invariants of this system under diffeomorphisms of the form…
Of all real Lagrangian--Grassmannians $LG(n,2n)$, only $LG(2,4)$ admits a distinguished (Lorentzian) conformal structure and hence is identified with the indefinite M\"obius space $S^{1,2}$. Using Cartan's method of moving frames, we study…
Elie Cartan's general equivalence problem is recast in the language of Lie algebroids. The resulting formalism, being coordinate and model-free, allows for a full geometric interpretation of Cartan's method of equivalence via reduction and…
Einstein-Weyl geometry is a triple (D,g,w), where D is a symmetric connection, [g] is a conformal structure and w is a covector such that: (i) connection D preserves the conformal class [g], that is, Dg=wg; (ii) trace-free part of the…