A General Backwards Calculus of Variations via Duality

We prove Euler-Lagrange and natural boundary necessary optimality conditions for problems of the calculus of variations which are given by a composition of nabla integrals on an arbitrary time scale. As an application, we get optimality conditions for the product and the quotient of nabla variational functionals.Comment: Submitted to Optimization Letters 03-June-2010; revised 01-July-2010; accepted for publication 08-July-201

Noether's symmetry theorem for nabla problems of the calculus of variations

We prove a Noether-type symmetry theorem and a DuBois-Reymond necessary optimality condition for nabla problems of the calculus of variations on time scales.Comment: Submitted 20/Oct/2009; Revised 27/Jan/2010; Accepted 28/July/2010; for publication in Applied Mathematics Letter

Backward Linear Control Systems on Time Scales

We show how a linear control systems theory for the backward nabla differential operator on an arbitrary time scale can be obtained via Caputo's duality. More precisely, we consider linear control systems with outputs defined with respect to the backward jump operator. Kalman criteria of controllability and observability, as well as realizability conditions, are proved.Comment: Submitted November 11, 2009; Revised March 28, 2010; Accepted April 03, 2010; for publication in the International Journal of Control

Optimality conditions for the calculus of variations with higher-order delta derivatives

We prove the Euler-Lagrange delta-differential equations for problems of the calculus of variations on arbitrary time scales with delta-integral functionals depending on higher-order delta derivatives.Comment: Submitted 26/Jul/2009; Revised 04/Aug/2010; Accepted 09/Aug/2010; for publication in "Applied Mathematics Letters

Fractional Calculus of Variations for Double Integrals

We consider fractional isoperimetric problems of calculus of variations with double integrals via the recent modified Riemann-Liouville approach. A necessary optimality condition of Euler-Lagrange type, in the form of a multitime fractional PDE, is proved, as well as a sufficient condition and fractional natural boundary conditions.Comment: Submitted 07-Sept-2010; revised 25-Nov-2010; accepted 07-Feb-2011; for publication in Balkan Journal of Geometers and Its Applications (BJGA

Direct and Inverse Variational Problems on Time Scales: A Survey

We deal with direct and inverse problems of the calculus of variations on arbitrary time scales. Firstly, using the Euler-Lagrange equation and the strengthened Legendre condition, we give a general form for a variational functional to attain a local minimum at a given point of the vector space. Furthermore, we provide a necessary condition for a dynamic integro-differential equation to be an Euler-Lagrange equation (Helmholtz's problem of the calculus of variations on time scales). New and interesting results for the discrete and quantum settings are obtained as particular cases. Finally, we consider very general problems of the calculus of variations given by the composition of a certain scalar function with delta and nabla integrals of a vector valued field.Comment: This is a preprint of a paper whose final and definite form will be published in the Springer Volume 'Modeling, Dynamics, Optimization and Bioeconomics II', Edited by A. A. Pinto and D. Zilberman (Eds.), Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics. Submitted 03/Sept/2014; Accepted, after a revision, 19/Jan/201