Variational principles for involutive systems of vector fields
Mathematical Physics
2015-06-26 v1 math.MP
Abstract
In many relevant cases -- e.g., in hamiltonian dynamics -- a given vector field can be characterized by means of a variational principle based on a one-form. We discuss how a vector field on a manifold can also be characterized in a similar way by means of an higher order variational principle, and how this extends to involutive systems of vector fields.
Cite
@article{arxiv.math-ph/0406039,
title = {Variational principles for involutive systems of vector fields},
author = {G. Gaeta and P. Morando},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:math-ph/0406039},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
31 pages. To appear in International Journal of Geometric Methods in Modern Physics (IJGMMP)