Integrable flows and Backlund transformations on extended Stiefel varieties with application to the Euler top on the Lie group SO(3)

We show that the $m$-dimensional Euler--Manakov top on $so^*(m)$ can be represented as a Poisson reduction of an integrable Hamiltonian system on a symplectic extended Stiefel variety $\bar{\cal V}(k,m)$, and present its Lax representation with a rational parameter. We also describe an integrable two-valued symplectic map $\cal B$ on the 4-dimensional variety ${\cal V}(2,3)$. The map admits two different reductions, namely, to the Lie group SO(3) and to the coalgebra $so^*(3)$. The first reduction provides a discretization of the motion of the classical Euler top in space and has a transparent geometric interpretation, which can be regarded as a discrete version of the celebrated Poinsot model of motion and which inherits some properties of another discrete system, the elliptic billiard. The reduction of $\cal B$ to $so^*(3)$ gives a new explicit discretization of the Euler top in the angular momentum space, which preserves first integrals of the continuous system.Comment: 18 pages, 1 Figur

Nonholonomic LR systems as Generalized Chaplygin systems with an Invariant Measure and Geodesic Flows on Homogeneous Spaces

We consider a class of dynamical systems on a Lie group $G$ with a left-invariant metric and right-invariant nonholonomic constraints (so called LR systems) and show that, under a generic condition on the constraints, such systems can be regarded as generalized Chaplygin systems on the principle bundle $G \to Q=G/H$, $H$ being a Lie subgroup. In contrast to generic Chaplygin systems, the reductions of our LR systems onto the homogeneous space $Q$ always possess an invariant measure. We study the case $G=SO(n)$, when LR systems are multidimensional generalizations of the Veselova problem of a nonholonomic rigid body motion, which admit a reduction to systems with an invariant measure on the (co)tangent bundle of Stiefel varieties $V(k,n)$ as the corresponding homogeneous spaces. For $k=1$ and a special choice of the left-invariant metric on SO(n), we prove that under a change of time, the reduced system becomes an integrable Hamiltonian system describing a geodesic flow on the unit sphere $S^{n-1}$. This provides a first example of a nonholonomic system with more than two degrees of freedom for which the celebrated Chaplygin reducibility theorem is applicable. In this case we also explicitly reconstruct the motion on the group SO(n).Comment: 39 pages, the proof of Lemma 4.3 and some references are added, to appear in Journal of Nonlinear Scienc

Sigma-function solution to the general Somos-6 recurrence via hyperelliptic Prym varieties

We construct the explicit solution of the initial value problem for sequences generated by the general Somos-6 recurrence relation, in terms of the Kleinian sigma-function of genus two. For each sequence there is an associated genus two curve $X$, such that iteration of the recurrence corresponds to translation by a fixed vector in the Jacobian of $X$. The construction is based on a Lax pair with a spectral curve $S$ of genus four admitting an involution $\sigma$ with two fixed points, and the Jacobian of $X$ arises as the Prym variety Prym $(S,\sigma)$

The Hydrodynamic Chaplygin Sleigh

We consider the motion of rigid bodies in a potential fluid subject to certain nonholonomic constraints and show that it is described by Euler--Poincar\'e--Suslov equations. In the 2-dimensional case, when the constraint is realized by a blade attached to the body, the system provides a hydrodynamic generalization of the Chaplygin sleigh, whose dynamics are studied in detail. Namely, the equations of motion are integrated explicitly and the asymptotic behavior of the system is determined. It is shown how the presence of the fluid brings new features to such a behavior.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

Unimodularity and preservation of volumes in nonholonomic mechanics

The equations of motion of a mechanical system subjected to nonholonomic linear constraints can be formulated in terms of a linear almost Poisson structure in a vector bundle. We study the existence of invariant measures for the system in terms of the unimodularity of this structure. In the presence of symmetries, our approach allows us to give necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of an invariant volume, that unify and improve results existing in the literature. We present an algorithm to study the existence of a smooth invariant volume for nonholonomic mechanical systems with symmetry and we apply it to several concrete mechanical examples.Comment: 37 pages, 3 figures; v3 includes several changes to v2 that were done in accordance to the referee suggestion

Dynamical systems on infinitely sheeted Riemann surfaces

This paper is part of a program that aims to understand the connection between the emergence of chaotic behaviour in dynamical systems in relation with the multi-valuedness of the solutions as functions of complex time tau. In this work we consider a family of systems whose solutions can be expressed as the inversion of a single hyperelliptic integral. The associated Riemann surface R -> C = {tau} is known to be an infinitely sheeted covering of the complex time plane, ramified at an infinite set of points whose projection in the tau-plane is dense. The main novelty of this paper is that the geometrical structure of these infinitely sheeted Riemann surfaces is described in great detail, which allows us to study global properties of the flow such as asymptotic behaviour of the solutions, periodic orbits and their stability or sensitive dependence on initial conditions. The results are then compared with a numerical integration of the equations of motion. Following the recent approach of Calogero, the real time trajectories of the system are given by paths on R that are projected to a circle on the complex plane tau. Due to the branching of R, the solutions may have different periods or may be aperiodic