Matsyuk, R.Ya.
Symmetries of vector exterior differential systems and the inverse problem in second-order Ostrograds’kii mechanics. (English) Zbl 0957.58003
J. Nonlinear Math. Phys. 4, No.1-2, 89-97 (1997).

The author recalls the vector bundle valued differential forms and exterior systems. Then he introduces a new kind of equivalence in order to reformulate the usual concepts of symmetries and infinitesimal symmetries of systems of differential equations: two exterior differential systems are called equivalent if the sets of their solutions coincide, the symmetry is a transformation which changes a given system into an equivalent system.

It is not easy to effectively apply this new conception, a simple example from the relativistic mechanics is nevertheless briefly mentioned.

Reviewer: Jan Chrastina (Brno)
MSC:
58A15 Exterior differential systems (Cartan theory)
58E30 Variational principles on infinite-dimensional spaces
Keywords:
infinitesimal summetry; Euler-Lagrange equation; exterior differential systems