In this paper, we define Jacobi fields for nonholonomic mechanics using a similar characterization than in Riemannian geometry. We give explicit conditions to find Jacobi fields and finally we find the nonholonomic Jacobi equations in two equivalent ways: the first one, using an appropriate complete lift of the nonholonomic system and, in the second one, using the curvature and torsion of the associated nonholonomic connection.
Nonholonomic mechanical systems have been attracting more interest in recent years because of their rich geometric properties and their applications in Engineering. In all generality, we discuss the reduction of a Hamilton-Jacobi theory for systems subject to nonholonomic constraints and that are invariant under the action of a group of symmetries. We consider nonholonomic systems subject to linear or nonlinear constraints, with different positioning with respect to the symmetries. We describe the reduction procedure first, to later reconstruct solutions in the unreduced picture, by starting f…
We prove a nonholonomic version of the classical Mauper\-tuis-Jacobi principle which transforms an autonomous mechanical nonholonomic problem, determined by a kinetic minus potential energy and a distribution, in a kinetic nonholonomic problem over a fixed level set of the Lagrangian energy. To prove this result we introduce an appropriate contact bundle structure clarifying the geometric equivalence between both problems. By using the nonholonomic Maupertuis-Jacobi principle, we prove that the regular solutions of a mechanical nonholonomic problem starting from a fixed point and in the same l…
In this paper, for a variety of nonholonomic (reducible) Hamiltonian systems, we first give to various distributional Hamiltonian systems, by analyzing carefully the dynamics and structures of the nonholonomic Hamiltonian systems. Secondly, we derive precisely the geometric constraint conditions of the induced distributional two-form for the nonholonomic dynamical vector field, which are called the Type I and Type II of Hamilton-Jacobi equations. Thirdly, we generalize the above results for the nonholonomic reducible Hamiltonian systems with symmetries, as well as with momentum maps, and prove…
In order to describe the impact of different geometric structures and constraints for the dynamics of a Hamiltonian system, in this paper, for a magnetic Hamiltonian system defined by a magnetic symplectic form, we first drive precisely the geometric constraint conditions of magnetic symplectic form for the magnetic Hamiltonian vector field.which are called the Type I and Type II of Hamilton-Jacobi equation. Secondly, for the magnetic Hamiltonian system with nonholonomic constraint, we first define a distributional magnetic Hamiltonian system, then derive its two types of Hamilton-Jacobi equat…
We construct the exponential map associated to a nonholonomic system that allows us to define an exact discrete nonholonomic constraint submanifold. We reproduce the continuous nonholonomic flow as a discrete flow on this discrete constraint submanifold deriving an exact discrete version of the nonholonomic equations. Finally, we derive a general family of nonholonomic integrators.
In order to describe the impact of nonholonomic constraints for the dynamics of a regular controlled Hamiltonian (RCH) system, in this paper, for an RCH system with nonholonomic constraint, we first derive its distributional RCH system, by analyzing carefully the structure of dynamical vector field of the nonholonomic RCH system. Secondly, we derive precisely the geometric constraint conditions of the induced distributional two-form for the dynamical vector field of the distributional RCH system, which are called the Type I and Type II of Hamilton-Jacobi equations. Thirdly, we generalize the a…
In order to describe the impact of different geometric structures and constraints for the dynamics of a regular controlled Hamiltonian system, in this paper, we first define a kind of controlled magnetic Hamiltonian (CMH) system, and give a good expression of the dynamical vector field of the CMH system, such that we can describe the magnetic vanishing condition and the CMH-equivalence, and derive precisely the geometric constraint conditions of the magnetic symplectic form for the dynamical vector field of the CMH system, which are called the Type I and Type II of Hamilton-Jacobi equation. Se…
Nonholonomic mechanics describes the motion of systems constrained by nonintegrable constraints. One of its most remarkable properties is that the derivation of the nonholonomic equations is not variational in nature. {However, in} this paper, we prove (Theorem 1.1) that for kinetic nonholonomic {systems}, the solutions starting from a fixed point $q$ are true geodesics for a family of Riemannian metrics on the image submanifold ${\mathcal M}^{nh}_q$ of the nonholonomic exponential map. This implies a surprising result: the kinetic nonholonomic trajectories with starting point $q$, for suffici…
In this paper, high-order numerical integrators on homogeneous spaces will be presented as an application of nonholonomic partitioned Runge-Kutta Munthe-Kaas (RKMK) methods on Lie groups. A homogeneous space $M$ is a manifold where a group $G$ acts transitively. Such a space can be understood as a quotient $M \cong G/H$, where $H$ a closed Lie subgroup, is the isotropy group of each point of $M$. The Lie algebra of $G$ may be decomposed into $\mathfrak{g} = \mathfrak{m} \oplus \mathfrak{h}$, where $\mathfrak{h}$ is the subalgebra that generates $H$ and $\mathfrak{m}$ is a subspace. Thus, varia…
We present a systematic treatment of line bundle geometry and Jacobi manifolds with an application to geometric mechanics that has not been noted in the literature. We precisely identify categories that generalise the ordinary categories of smooth manifolds and vector bundles to account for a lack of choice of a preferred unit, which in standard differential geometry is always given by the global constant function $1$. This is what we call the `unit-free' approach. After giving a characterisation of local Lie brackets via their symbol maps we apply our novel categorical language to review Jaco…
