LEGENDRE TRANSFORMATIONS AND CARTAN FORMS IN THE CALCULUS OF VARIATIONS OF MULTIPLE INTEGRALS

ABSTRACT

(PART II): In terms of a given Hamiltonian function the 1-form w = dH + ?_j|dπ^j is defined, where {?_j:j = 1,…, n} denotes an invariant basis of the planes of the distribution D_n. The latter is said to be canonical if w = 0 (which is analogous to the definition of Hamiltonian vector fields in symplectic geometry). This condition is equivalent to two sets of canonical equations that are expressed explicitly in term of the derivatives of H with respect to its positional arguments. The distribution D_n is said to be pseudo-Lagrangian if dπ^j(?_j,V_h) = 0; if D_n, is both canonical and pseudo-Lagrangian it is integrable and such that H = const. on each leaf of the resulting foliation. The Cartan form associated with this construction [9] is defined a II = π² ? ? πⁿ. If π is closed, the distribution D_N is integrable, and the exterior system {π^j} admits the representation ψ^j = dS^j in terms of a set of 0-forms S^j on M. If, in addition, the distribution D_N is canonical, these functions satisfy a single first order Hamilton-Jacobi equation, and conversely. Finally, a complete figure is constructed on the basis of the assumptions that (i) the Cartan form be closed, and (ii) that the distribution D_n, be both canonical and integrable. The last of these requirements implies the existence of N functions ψ^A that depend on x^h and N parameters w^B, whose derivatives are given by ?ψ^A (x^h, w^B)/?x^j = B^A _j (x^h, ψ^B (x^h,w^B)). The complete figure then consists of two complementary foliations: the leaves of the first are described by the functions ψ^A and satisfy the standard Euler-Lagrange equations, while the second, that is, the transversal foliation, is represented by the aforementioned solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation. The entire configuration then gives rise in a natural manner to a generalized Hilbert independent integral and consequently also to a generalized Weierstrass excess function.