I describe work in progress with Baryshnikov and Zharnitsky on periodic billiard orbits that leads one to an exterior differential system (EDS). I then give a brief introduction to EDS illustrated by several examples.
We describe Veech groups of flat surfaces arising from irrational angled polygonal billiards or irreducible stable abelian differentials. For irrational polygonal billiards, we prove that these groups are non-discrete subgroups of SO(2,R) and we calculate their rank.
We introduce a method to find differential equations for functions which define tables, such that associated billiard systems admit a local first integral. We illustrate this method in three situations: the case of (locally) integrable wire billiards, for finding surfaces in ${\mathbb R}^3$ with a first integral of degree one in velocities, and for finding a piece-wise smooth surface in ${\mathbb R}^3$ homeomorphic to a torus, being a table of an integrable billiard.
The configuration manifold $M$ of a mechanical system consisting of two unconstrained rigid bodies in $\mathbb{R}^n$, $n\geq 1$, is a manifold with boundary (typically with singularities.) A complete description of the system requires boundary conditions that specify how orbits should be continued after collisions. A boundary condition is the assignment of a collision map at each tangent space on the boundary of $M$ that gives the post-collision state of the system as a function of the pre-collision state. Our main result is a complete description of the space of linear collision maps satisfyi…
A brief introduction to exterior differential systems for graduate students familiar with manifolds and differential forms. For complete files, see https://github.com/Ben-McKay/introduction-to-exterior-differential-systems
A new category of Lie algebras, called generalized Lie algebras, is presented such that classical Lie algebras and Lie-Rinehart algebras are objects of this new category. A new philosophy over generalized Lie algebroids theory is presented using the notion of generalized Lie algebra and examples of objects of the category of generalized Lie algebroids are presented. An exterior differential calculus on generalized Lie algebras is pre- sented and a theorem of Maurer-Cartan type is obtained. Supposing that any submodule(vector subbundle) of a generalized Lie algebra(algebroid) is an interior alg…
We approach the construction of Backlund transformations for Darboux integrable hyperbolic partial differential equations in the plane through the reduction of exterior differential systems. For example it is shown that all the Backlund transformations in arXiv:0707.4408v2 can be constructed using symmetry reduction.
These are notes for a very rapid introduction to the basics of exterior differential systems and their connection with what is now known as Lie theory, together with some typical and not-so-typical applications to illustrate their use.
We construct a two-parameter covariant differential calculus on the quantum $h$-exterior plane. We also give a deformation of the two-dimensional fermionic phase space.
Symmetries of variational problems are considered as symmetries of vector bundle valued exterior differential systems. This approach is then applied to third order ordinary variational equations of motion of the semi-classical spinning particle.
Evolutionary forms, as well as exterior forms, are skew-symmetric differential forms. But in contrast to the exterior forms, the basis of evolutionary forms is deforming manifolds (with unclosed metric forms). Such forms possess a peculiarity, namely, the closed inexact exterior forms are obtained from that. The closure conditions of inexact exterior form (vanishing the differentials of exterior and dual forms) point out to the fact that the closed inexact exterior form is a quantity conserved on pseudostructure having the dual form as the metric form. We obtain that the closed inexact exterio…
Exterior differential systems are given, and their Cartan characters calculated, for Maxwell and SU(2)-Yang-Mills equations in dimensions from three to six.
An exterior differential calculus in the general framework of generalized Lie algebroids is presented. A theorem of Maurer-Cartan type is obtained. All results with details proofs are presented and a new point of view over exterior differential calculus for Lie algebroids is obtained. Using the theory of linear connections of Ehresmann type presented in the firstt reference, the identities of Cartan and Bianchi type are presented. Supposing that any vector subbundle of the pull-back Lie algebroid of a generalized Lie algebroid is interior differential system (IDS) for that generalized Lie alge…
These are expository notes from the 2008 Srni Winter School. They have two purposes: (1) to give a quick introduction to exterior differential systems (EDS), which is a collection of techniques for determining local existence to systems of partial differential equations, and (2) to give an exposition of recent work (joint with C. Robles) on the study of the Fubini-Griffiths-Harris rigidity of rational homogeneous varieties, which also involves an advance in the EDS technology.
This is an elementary introduction to exterior differential systems motivated by two examples: minimal submanifolds and the isometric embedding problem. The two main goals of the lectures are: 1. To explain how to find an appropriate geometric setting for studying a given system of pde. 2. To explain the Cartan algorithm to determine the moduli space of local solutions to any given exterior differential system and an appropriate initial value problem for the system.
A theorem of Maurer-Cartan type for Lie algebroids is presented. Suppose that any vector subbundle of a Lie algebroid is called interior differential system (IDS) for that Lie algebroid. A theorem of Cartan type is obtained. Extending the classical notion of exterior differential system (EDS) to Lie algebroids, a theorem of Cartan type is obtained.
For For a given PDE system, or an exterior differential system possessing a Lie group of internal symmetries the orbit reduction procedure is introduced. It is proved that the solutions of the reduced exterior differential system are in one-to-one correspondence with the moduli space of regular solutions of the prolongation of the original system. The isomorphism between the local characteristic cohomology of the reduced unconstrained jet space and the Lie algebra cohomology of the symmetry group is established. The group-invariant Euler-Lagrange equations of an invariant variational problem a…
This paper is a survey of the subject of variations of Hodge structure (VHS) considered as exterior differential systems (EDS). We review developments over the last twenty-six years, with an emphasis on some key examples. In the penultimate section we present some new results on the characteristic cohomology of a homogeneous Pfaffian system. In the last section we discuss how the integrability conditions of an EDS affect the expected dimension of an integral submanifold. The paper ends with some speculation on EDS and Hodge conjecture for Calabi-Yau manifolds.
It is shown that two definitions for an exterior differential in superspace, giving the same exterior calculus, yet lead to different results when applied to the Poisson bracket. A prescription for the transition with the help of these exterior differentials from the given Poisson bracket of definite Grassmann parity to another bracket is introduced. It is also indicated that the resulting bracket leads to generalization of the Schouten-Nijenhuis bracket for the cases of superspace and brackets of diverse Grassmann parities. It is shown that in the case of the Grassmann-odd exterior differenti…
We use methods from exterior differential systems (EDS) to develop a geometric theory of scalar, first-order Lagrangian functionals and their associated Euler-Lagrange PDEs, subject to contact transformations. The first chapter contains an introduction of the classical Poincare-Cartan form in the context of EDS, followed by proofs of classical results, including a solution to the relevant inverse problem, Noether's theorem on symmetries and conservation laws, and several aspects of minimal hypersurfaces. In the second chapter, the equivalence problem for Poincare-Cartan forms is solved, giving…
We prove that the only natural operations between differential forms are those obtained using linear combinations, the exterior product and the exterior differential. Our result generalises work by Palais and Freed-Hopkins. As an application, we also deduce a theorem, originally due to Kolar, that determines those natural differential forms that can be associated to a connection on a principal bundle.
In this paper we present a far-reaching generalization of E. Vessiot's analysis of the Darboux integrable partial differential equations in one dependent and two independent variables. Our approach provides new insights into this classical method, uncovers the fundamental geometric invariants of Darboux integrable systems, and provides for systematic, algorithmic integration of such systems. This work is formulated within the general framework of Pfaffian exterior differential systems and, as such, has applications well beyond those currently found in the literature. In particular, our integra…
In this paper, as the second in our series of papers on differential geometry of microlinear Frolicher spaces, we study differenital forms. The principal result is that the exterior differentiation is uniquely determined geometrically, just as grad (ient), div (ergence) and rot (ation) are uniquely determined geometrically or physically in classical vector calculus. This infinitesimal characterization of exterior differentiation has been completely missing in orthodox differential geometry.
A generalization of exterior calculus is considered by allowing the partial derivatives in the exterior derivative to assume fractional orders. That is, a fractional exterior derivative is defined. This is found to generate new vector spaces of finite and infinite dimension, fractional differential form spaces. The definitions of closed and exact forms are extended to the new fractional form spaces with closure and integrability conditions worked out for a special case. Coordinate transformation rules are also computed. The transformation rules are different from those of the standard exterior…
We explore several notions of $k$-form at a point in a diffeological space, construct bundles of such $k$-forms, and compare sections of these bundles to differential forms. As they are defined locally, our $k$-forms can contain more information than the values of differential forms contain, and we illustrate this with many examples. To organize our work, we develop the basic theory of diffeological vector pseudo-bundles, including a detailed understanding of their limits and colimits, as well as a variety of fibrewise operations such as products, direct sums, tensor products, exterior powers …
We discuss Monge-Ampère equations from the view point of differential geometry. It is known that a Monge-Ampère equation corresponds to a special exterior differential system on a 1-jet space. In this paper, we generalize Monge-Ampère equations and prove that a $(k+1)$st order generalized Monge-Ampère equation corresponds to a special exterior differential system on a $k$-jet space. Then its solution naturally corresponds to an integral manifold of the corresponding exterior differential system. Moreover, we verify that the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation and the Cauchy-Riemann equations are …
Complex contact manifolds arise naturally in differential geometry, algebraic geometry and exterior differential systems. Their classification would answer an important question about holonomy groups. The geometry of such manifold $X$ is governed by the contact lines contained in $X$. These are related to the notion of a variety of minimal rational tangents. In this review we discuss the partial classification theorems of projective complex contact manifolds. Among such manifolds one finds contact Fano manifolds (which include adjoint varieties) and projectivised cotangent bundles. In the firs…
Aronszajn, Krzywicki and Szarski proved in \cite{AKS62} a strong unique continuation result for differential forms, satisfying a certain first order differential inequality, on Riemannian manifolds with empty boundary. The present paper extends this result to the setting of Riemannian manifold with non-empty boundary, assuming suitable boundary conditions on the differential forms. We then present some applications of this extended result. Namely, we show that the Hausdorff dimension of the zero set of harmonic Neumann and Dirichlet forms, as well as eigenfields of the curl operator (on $3$-ma…
We briefly recall a fundamental exterior differential system introduced by the author and then apply it to the case of three dimensions. Here we find new global tensors and intrinsic invariants of oriented Riemaniann 3-manifolds. The system leads to a remarkable Weingarten type equation for surfaces on hyperbolic 3-space. An independent proof for low dimensions of the structural equations gives new insight on the intrinsic exterior differential system.
A Lie algebroid over a manifold is a vector bundle over that manifold whose properties are very similar to those of a tangent bundle. Its dual bundle has properties very similar to those of a cotangent bundle: in the graded algebra of sections of its external powers, one can define an operator similar to the exterior derivative. We present in this paper the theory of Lie derivatives, Schouten-Nijenhuis brackets and exterior derivatives in the general setting of a Lie algebroid, its dual bundle and their exterior powers. All the results (which, for their most part, are already known) are given …
The closure conditions of the inexact exterior differential form and dual form (an equality to zero of differentials of these forms) can be treated as a definition of some differential-geometrical structure. Such a connection discloses the properties and specific features of the differential-geometrical structures. The using of skew-symmetric differential forms enables one to reveal a mechanism of forming differential-geometrical structures as well. To do this, it is necessary to consider the skew-symmetric differential forms whose basis, unlike to the case of exterior differential forms, are …
Basic aspects of differential geometry can be extended to various non-classical settings: Lipschitz manifolds, rectifiable sets, sub-Riemannian manifolds, Banach manifolds, Weiner space, etc. Although the constructions differ, in each of these cases one can define a module of measurable 1-forms and a first-order exterior derivative. We give a general construction which applies to any metric space equipped with a sigma-finite measure and produces the desired result in all of the above cases. It also applies to an important class of Dirichlet spaces, where, however, the known first-order differe…
Let $σ$ be an involution of a real semi-simple Lie group $U$, $U_0$ the subgroup fixed by $σ$, and $U/U_0$ the corresponding symmetric space. Ferus and Pedit called a submanifold $M$ of a rank $r$ symmetric space $U/U_0$ a {\it curved flat} if $T_pM$ is tangent to an $r$-dimensional flat of $U/U_0$ at $p$ for each $p\in M$. They noted that the equation for curved flats is an integrable system. Bryant used the involution $σ$ to construct an involutive exterior differential system $\ci_σ$ such that integral submanifolds of $\ci_σ$ are curved flats. Terng used $r$ first flows in the $U/U_0$-hiera…
The exterior derivative and the mean value equality in $\mathbb{R}^n$
Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação (ICMC), Universidade de São Paulo (USP)(圣保罗大学数学与计算科学学院);Instituto de Matemática, Estatística e Computação Científica (IMECC), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)(坎皮纳斯州立大学数学、统计与科学计算研究所)
In this paper we present a new theory of calculus over $k$-dimensional domains in a smooth $n$-manifold, unifying the discrete, exterior, and continuum theories. The calculus begins at a single point and is extended to chains of finitely many points by linearity, or superposition. It converges to the smooth continuum with respect to a norm on the space of ``pointed chains,'' culminating in the chainlet complex. Through this complex, we discover a broad theory of coordinate free, multivector analysis in smooth manifolds for which both the classical Newtonian calculus and the Cartan exterior cal…
The L 1-Sobolev inequality states that the L n/(n--1)-norm of a compactly supported function on Euclidean n-space is controlled by the L 1-norm of its gradient. The generalization to differential forms (due to Lanzani & Stein and Bourgain & Brezis) is recent, and states that a the L n/(n--1)-norm of a compactly supported differential h-form is controlled by the L 1-norm of its exterior differential du and its exterior codifferential $δ$u (in special cases the L 1-norm must be replaced by the H 1-Hardy norm). We shall extend this result to Heisenberg groups in the framework of an appropriate co…
In this paper we analyze the tangential symmetries of Darboux integrable decomposable exterior differential systems. The decomposable systems generalize the notion of a hyperbolic exterior differential system and include the classic notion of Darboux integrability for first order systems and second order scalar equations. For Darboux integrable systems the general solution can be found by integration (solving ordinary differential equations). We show that this property holds for our generalized systems as well. We give a geometric construction of the Lie algebras of tangential symmetries assoc…
The generalization of the n-dimensional cube, an n-dimensional chain, the exterior derivative and the integral of a differential n-form on it are introduced and investigated. The analogue of Stokes theorem for the differential space is given.
Parametric Cartan theory of exterior differential systems, and explicit cohomology of projective manifolds reveal united rationality features of differential algebraic geometry.
Finite element exterior calculus refers to the development of finite element methods for differential forms, generalizing several earlier finite element spaces of scalar fields and vector fields to arbitrary dimension $n$, arbitrary polynomial degree $r$, and arbitrary differential form degree $k$. The study of finite element exterior calculus began with the $\mathcal P_rΛ^k$ and $\mathcal P_r^-Λ^k$ families of finite element spaces on simplicial triangulations. In their development of these spaces, Arnold, Falk, and Winther rely on a duality relationship between $\mathcal P_rΛ^k$ and $\mathri…
The geometric product, defined by Graf on the space of differential forms, endows the sections of the exterior bundle by a structure that is necessary to construct a Clifford algebra. The Graf product is introduced and revisited with a suitable underlying framework that naturally encompasses a coframe in the cotangent bundle, besides the volume element centrality, the Hodge operator and the so called truncated subalgebra as well.
We prove that the only natural differential operations between holomorphic forms on a complex manifold are those obtained using linear combinations, the exterior product and the exterior differential. In order to accomplish this task we first develop the basics of the theory of natural holomorphic bundles over a fixed manifold, making explicit its Galoisian structure by proving a categorical equivalence {\it à la Galois}.
Building on the Utiyama principle we formulate an approach to Lagrangian field theory in which exterior covariant differentials of vector-valued forms replace partial derivatives, in the sense that they take up the role played by the latter in the usual jet bundle formulation. Actually a natural Lagrangian can be written as a density on a suitable "covariant prolongation bundle"; the related momenta turn out to be natural vector-valued forms, and the field equations can be expressed in terms of covariant exterior differentials of the momenta. Currents and energy-tensors naturally also fit into…