Fractional Noether's Theorem with Classical and Riemann-Liouville Derivatives

We prove a Noether type symmetry theorem to fractional problems of the calculus of variations with classical and Riemann-Liouville derivatives. As result, we obtain constants of motion (in the classical sense) that are valid along the mixed classical/fractional Euler-Lagrange extremals. Both Lagrangian and Hamiltonian versions of the Noether theorem are obtained. Finally, we extend our Noether's theorem to more general problems of optimal control with classical and Riemann-Liouville derivatives.Comment: This is a preprint of a paper whose final and definite form will be published in: 51st IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, December 10-13, 2012, Maui, Hawaii, USA. Article Source/Identifier: PLZ-CDC12.1832.45c07804. Submitted 08-March-2012; accepted 17-July-2012. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1001.450

Noether's Symmetry Theorem for Variational and Optimal Control Problems with Time Delay

We extend the DuBois-Reymond necessary optimality condition and Noether's symmetry theorem to the time delay variational setting. Both Lagrangian and Hamiltonian versions of Noether's theorem are proved, covering problems of the calculus of variations and optimal control with delays.Comment: This is a preprint of a paper whose final and definite form will appear in the international journal Numerical Algebra, Control and Optimization (NACO). Paper accepted for publication 15-March-201

Coupled quintessence and vacuum decay

We discuss observational consequences of a class of cosmological models characterized by the dilution of pressureless matter attenuated with respect to the usual $a^{-3}$ scaling due to the decay of vacuum energy. We carry out a joint statistical analysis of observational data from the new \emph{gold} sample of 182 SNe Ia, recent estimates of the CMB shift parameter, and BAO measurements from the SDSS to show that such models favor the decay of vacuum only into the dark matter sector, and that the separately conserved baryons cannot be neglected. In order to explore ways to more fundamentally motivated models, we also derive a coupled scalar field version for this general class of vacuum decay scenarios.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, LaTe