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New integrability properties of a family of sequences of ordinary differential equations, which contains the Riccati and Abel chains as the most simple sequences, are studied. The determination of n generalized symmetries of the nth-order equation in each chain provides, without any kind of integration, n-1 functionally independent first integrals of the equation. A remaining first integral arises by a quadrature by using a Jacobi last multiplier that is expressed in terms of the preceding equation in the corresponding sequence. The complete set of n first integrals is used to obtain the exact general solution of the nth-order equation of each sequence. The results are applied to derive directly the exact general solution of any equation in the Riccati and Abel chains., Comment: 16 pages more...

Nineteen classical superintegrable systems in two-dimensional non-Euclidean spaces are shown to possess hidden symmetries leading to their linearization. They are the two Perlick systems [A. Ballesteros, A. Enciso, F.J. Herranz and O. Ragnisco, Class. Quantum Grav. 25, 165005 (2008)], the Taub-NUT system [A. Ballesteros, A. Enciso, F.J. Herranz, O. Ragnisco, and D. Riglioni, SIGMA 7, 048 (2011)], and all the seventeen superintegrable systems for the four types of Darboux spaces as determined in [E.G. Kalnins, J.M. Kress, W. Miller, P. Winternitz, J. Math. Phys. 44, 5811--5848 (2003)]. more...

The classical quantization of the motion of a free particle and that of an harmonic oscillator on a double cone are achieved by a quantization scheme [M.C. Nucci, Theor. Math. Phys. 168 (2011) 994], that preserves the Noether point symmetries of the underlying Lagrangian in order to construct the Schroedinger equation. The result is different from that given in [K. Kowalski, J.Rembielnski, Ann. Phys. 329 (2013) 146]. A comparison of the different outcomes is provided., Comment: 14 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1406.0192 in the Introduction since the authors' method of quantization is described again more...

Several examples of classical superintegrable systems in two-dimensional spac are shown to possess hidden symmetries leading to their linearization. They are those determined 50 years ago in [Phys. Lett. 13, 354 (1965)], and the more recent Tremblay-Turbiner-Winternitz system [J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 42, 242001 (2009)]. We conjecture that all classical superintegrable systems in two-dimensional space have hidden symmetries that make them linearizable., Comment: 17 pages more...

Slow neutron captures are responsible for the production of about $50\%$ of elements heavier than iron, mainly, occurring during the asymptotic giant branch phase of low-mass stars ($1$ $\lesssim M$/M$_{\odot}$ $\lesssim$ $3$), where the main neutron source is the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,n)$^{16}$O reaction. This last is activated from locally-produced $^{13}$C, formed by partial mixing of hydrogen into the He-rich layers. We present here the first attempt at describing a physical mechanism for the formation of the $^{13}$C reservoir, studying the mass circulation induced by magnetic buoyancy and without adding new free parameters to those already involved in stellar modelling. Our approach represents the application, to the stellar layers relevant for $s$-processing, of recent exact, analytical 2D and 3D models for magneto-hydrodynamic processes at the base of convective envelopes in evolved stars in order to promote downflows of envelope material for mass conservation, during the occurrence of a dredge-up phenomenon. We find that the proton penetration is characterized by small concentrations, but extended over a large fractional mass of the He-layers, thus producing $^{13}$C reservoirs of several $10^{-3}$ M$_{\odot}$. The ensuing $^{13}$C-enriched zone has an almost flat profile, while only a limited production of $^{14}$N occurs. In order to verify the effects of our new findings we show how the abundances of the main $s$-component nuclei can be accounted for in solar proportions and how our large $^{13}$C-reservoir allows us to solve a few so far unexplained features in the abundance distribution of post-AGB objects. more...

The classical quantization of a family of a quadratic Li\'{e}nard-type equation (Li\'{e}nard II equation) is achieved by a quantization scheme (M.~C. Nucci. {\em Theor. Math. Phys.}, 168:994--1001, 2011) that preserves the Noether point symmetries of the underlying Lagrangian in order to construct the Schr\"odinger equation. This method straightforwardly yields the Schr\"odinger equation as given in (A.~Ghose~Choudhury and Partha Guha. {\em J. Phys. A: Math. Theor.}, 46:165202, 2013)., Comment: 13 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1307.3803 in the Introduction since the authors' method of quantization is described again more...

The advection of thermonuclear ashes by magnetized domains emerging from near the H-shell was suggested to explain AGB star abundances. Here we verify this idea quantitatively through exact MHD models. Starting with a simple 2D geometry and in an inertia frame, we study plasma equilibria avoiding the complications of numerical simulations. We show that, below the convective envelope of an AGB star, variable magnetic fields induce a natural expansion, permitted by the almost ideal MHD conditions, in which the radial velocity grows as the second power of the radius. We then study the convective envelope, where the complexity of macro-turbulence allows only for a schematic analytical treatment. Here the radial velocity depends on the square root of the radius. We then verify the robustness of our results with 3D calculations for the velocity, showing that, for both the studied regions, the solution previously found can be seen as a planar section of a more complex behavior, in which anyway the average radial velocity retains the same dependency on radius found in 2D. As a final check, we compare our results to approximate descriptions of buoyant magnetic structures. For realistic boundary conditions the envelope crossing times are sufficient to disperse in the huge convective zone any material transported, suggesting magnetic advection as a promising mechanism for deep mixing. The mixing velocities are smaller than for convection, but larger than for diffusion and adequate to extra-mixing in red giants. more...

The classical quantization of a Lienard-type nonlinear oscillator is achieved by a quantization scheme (M.C. Nucci. Theor. Math. Phys., 168:997--1004, 2011) that preserves the Noether point symmetries of the underlying Lagrangian in order to construct the Schr\"odinger equation. This method straightforwardly yields the correct Schr\"odinger equation in the momentum space (V. Chithiika Ruby, M. Senthilvelan, and M. Lakshmanan. J. Phys. A: Math. Gen., 45:382002, 2012), and sheds light into the apparently remarkable connection with the linear harmonic oscillator., Comment: 18 pages more...

We present an old and regretfully forgotten method by Jacobi which allows one to find many Lagrangians of simple classical models and also of nonconservative systems. We underline that the knowledge of Lie symmetries generates Jacobi last multipliers and each of the latter yields a Lagrangian. Then it is shown that Noether's theorem can identify among those Lagrangians the physical Lagrangian(s) that will successfully lead to quantization. The preservation of the Noether symmetries as Lie symmetries of the corresponding Schr\"odinger equation is the key that takes classical mechanics into quantum mechanics. Some examples are presented., Comment: To appear in: Proceedings of Symmetries in Science XV, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, (2012) more...

We show that $\lambda$-symmetries can be algorithmically obtained by using the Jacobi last multiplier. Several examples are provided., Comment: 17 pages

We show that a method presented in [S.L. Trubatch and A. Franco, Canonical Procedures for Population Dynamics, J. Theor. Biol. 48 (1974), 299-324] and later in [G.H. Paine, The development of Lagrangians for biological models, Bull. Math. Biol. 44 (1982) 749-760] for finding Lagrangians of classic models in biology, is actually based on finding the Jacobi Last Multiplier of such models. Using known properties of Jacobi Last Multiplier we show how to obtain linear Lagrangians of those first-order systems and nonlinear Lagrangian of the corresponding single second-order equations that can be derived from them, even in the case where those authors failed such as the host-parasite model. more...

A procedure which obviates the constraint imposed by the conflict between consistent quantization and the invariance of the Hamiltonian description under nonlinear canonical transformation is proposed. This new quantization scheme preserves the Noether point symmetries of the underlying Lagrangian in order to construct the Schr\"odinger's equation. As an example, the quantization of the `goldfish' many-body problem extensively studied by Calogero et al. is presented. more...

Mathematical modeling should present a consistent description of physical phenomena. We illustrate an inconsistency with two Hamiltonians -- the standard Hamiltonian and an example found in Goldstein -- for the simple harmonic oscillator and its quantisation. Both descriptions are rich in Lie point symmetries and so one can calculate many Jacobi Last Multipliers and therefore Lagrangians. The Last Multiplier provides the route to the resolution of this problem and indicates that the great debate about the quantisation of dissipative systems should never have occurred., Comment: 13 pages more...

In the recent literature there has been a resurgence of interest in the fourth-order field-theoretic model of Pais-Uhlenbeck \cite {Pais-Uhlenbeck 50 a}, which has not had a good reception over the last half century due to the existence of {\em ghosts} in the properties of the quantum mechanical solution. Bender and Mannheim \cite{Bender 08 a} were successful in persuading the corresponding quantum operator to `give up the ghost'. Their success had the advantage of making the model of Pais-Uhlenbeck acceptable to the physical community and in the process added further credit to the cause of advancement of the use of ${\cal PT} $ symmetry. We present a case for the acceptance of the Pais-Uhlenbeck model in the context of Dirac's theory by providing an Hamiltonian which is not quantum mechanically haunted. The essential point is the manner in which a fourth-order equation is rendered into a system of second-order equations. We show by means of the method of reduction of order \cite {Nucci} that it is possible to construct an Hamiltonian which gives rise to a satisfactory quantal description without having to abandon Dirac., Comment: 8 pages more...

We show that given an ordinary differential equation of order four, it may be possible to determine a Lagrangian if the third derivative is absent (or eliminated) from the equation. This represents a subcase of Fels'conditions [M. E. Fels, The inverse problem of the calculus of variations for scalar fourth-order ordinary differential equations, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 348 (1996) 5007-5029] which ensure the existence and uniqueness of the Lagrangian in the case of a fourth-order equation. The key is the Jacobi last multiplier as in the case of a second-order equation. Two equations from a Number Theory paper by Hall, one of second and one of fourth order, will be used to exemplify the method. The known link between Jacobi last multiplier and Lie symmetries is also exploited. Finally the Lagrangian of two fourth-order equations drawn from Physics are determined with the same method., Comment: 17 pages more...

We present a method devised by Jacobi to derive Lagrangians of any second-order differential equation: it consists in finding a Jacobi Last Multiplier. We illustrate the easiness and the power of Jacobi's method by applying it to several equations and also a class of equations studied by Musielak with his own method [Musielak ZE, Standard and non-standard Lagrangians for dissipative dynamical systems with variable coefficients. J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 (2008) 055205 (17pp)], and in particular to a Li\`enard type nonlinear oscillator, and a second-order Riccati equation., Comment: 13 pages more...

We present a method devised by Jacobi to derive Lagrangians of any second-order differential equation: it consists in finding a Jacobi Last Multiplier. We illustrate the easiness and the power of Jacobi's method by applying it to the same equation studied by Musielak et al. with their own method [Musielak ZE, Roy D and Swift LD. Method to derive Lagrangian and Hamiltonian for a nonlinear dynamical system with variable coefficients. Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 2008;58:894-902]. While they were able to find one particular Lagrangian after lengthy calculations, Jacobi Last Multiplier method yields two different Lagrangians (and many others), of which one is that found by Musielak et al, and the other(s) is(are) quite new., Comment: 14 pages more...

In a recent paper by Ibragimov [N. H. Ibragimov, Invariant Lagrangians and a new method of integration of nonlinear equations, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 304 (2005) 212--235] a method was presented in order to find Lagrangians of certain second-order ordinary differential equations admitting a two-dimensional Lie symmetry algebra. We present a method devised by Jacobi which enables to derive (many) Lagrangians of any second-order differential equation. The method is based on the search of the Jacobi Last Multipliers of the equations. We exemplify the simplicity and elegance of Jacobi's method by applying it to the same two equations as did Ibragimov. We show that the Lagrangians obtained by Ibragimov are particular cases of some of the many Lagrangians that can be obtained by Jacobi's method., Comment: 12 pages more...

The last multiplier of Jacobi provides a route for the determination of families of Lagrangians for a given system. We show that the members of a family are equivalent in that they differ by a total time derivative. We derive the Schr\"odinger equation for a one-degree-of-freedom system with a constant multiplier. In the sequel we consider the particular example of the simple harmonic oscillator. In the case of the general equation for the simple harmonic oscillator which contains an arbitrary function we show that all Schr\"odinger equations possess the same number of Lie point symmetries with the same algebra. From the symmetries we construct the solutions of the Schr\"odinger equation and find that they differ only by a phase determined by the gauge., Comment: 12 pages more...

We demonstrate that the formalism for the calculation of the Jacobi last multiplier for a one-degree-of-freedom system extends naturally to systems of more than one degree of freedom thereby extending results of Whittaker dating from more than a century ago and Rao ({\it Proc Ben Math Soc} {\bf 2} (1940) 53-59) dating from almost seventy years ago. We illustrate the theory with an application taken from the theory of coupled oscillators. We indicate how many Lagrangians can be obtained for such a system., Comment: 11 pages more...

Searching for a Lagrangian may seem either a trivial endeavour or an impossible task. In this paper we show that the Jacobi last multiplier associated with the Lie symmetries admitted by simple models of classical mechanics produces (too?) many Lagrangians in a simple way. We exemplify the method by such a classic as the simple harmonic oscillator, the harmonic oscillator in disguise [H Goldstein, {\it Classical Mechanics}, 2nd edition (Addison-Wesley, Reading, 1980)] and the damped harmonic oscillator. This is the first paper in a series dedicated to this subject., Comment: 16 pages more...

In this note we present three representations of a 248-dimensional Lie algebra, namely the algebra of Lie point symmetries admitted by a system of five trivial ordinary differential equations each of order forty-four, that admitted by a system of seven trivial ordinary differential equations each of order twenty-eight and that admitted by one trivial ordinary differential equation of order two hundred and forty-four., Comment: 5 pages more...

We investigate the symmetry properties of a pair of Ermakov equations. The system is superintegrable and yet possesses only three Lie point symmetries with the algebra sl(2,R). The number of point symmetries is insufficient and the algebra unsuitable for the complete specification of the system. We use the method of reduction of order to reduce the nonlinear fourth-order system to a third-order system comprising a linear second-order equation and a conservation law. We obtain the representation of the complete symmetry group from this system. Four of the required symmetries are nonlocal and the algebra is the direct sum of a one-dimensional Abelian algebra with the semidirect sum of a two-dimensional solvable algebra with a two-dimensional Abelian algebra. The problem illustrates the difficulties which can arise in very elementary systems. Our treatment demonstrates the existence of possible routes to overcome these problems in a systematic fashion., Comment: Published in SIGMA (Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications) at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA/ more...

A transformation is derived which takes Lorenz integrable system into the well-known Euler equations of a free-torque rigid body with a fixed point, i.e. the famous motion \`a la Poinsot. The proof is based on Lie group analysis applied to two third order ordinary differential equations admitting the same two-dimensional Lie symmetry algebra. Lie's classification of two-dimensional symmetry algebra in the plane is used. If the same transformation is applied to Lorenz system with any value of parameters, then one obtains Euler equations of a rigid body with a fixed point subjected to a torsion depending on time and angular velocity. The numerical solution of this system yields a three-dimensional picture which looks like a "tornado" whose cross-section has a butterfly-shape. Thus, Lorenz's {\em butterfly} has been transformed into a {\em tornado}., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures more...

The symmetry approach to the determination of Jacobi's last multiplier is inverted to provide a source of additional symmetries for the Euler-Poinsot system. These additional symmetries are nonlocal. They provide the symmetries for the representation of the complete symmetry group of the system., Comment: 12 pages more...

Realizations of four dimensional Lie algebras as vector fields in the plane are explicitly constructed. Fourth order ordinary differential equations which admit such Lie symmetry algebras are derived. The route to their integration is described., Comment: 12 pages more...

We show how the Lie group analysis method can be used in order to obtain first integrals of any system of ordinary differential equations. The method of reduction/increase of order developed by Nucci (J. Math. Phys. 37, 1772-1775 (1996)) is essential. Noether's theorem is neither necessary nor considered. The most striking example we present is the relationship between Lie group analysis and the famous first integral of the Kowalevski top., Comment: 23 pages more...

We show that the concept of complete symmetry group introduced by Krause (J. Math. Phys.35 (1994) 5734-5748) in the context of the Newtonian Kepler problem has wider applicability, extending to the relativistic context of the Einstein equations describing spherically symmetric bodies with certain conformal Killing symmetries. We also provide a simple demonstration of the nonuniqueness of the complete symmetry group., Comment: arXiv version is already official more...

The technique of reduction of order developed by Nucci ({\it J Math Phys} {\bf 37} (1996) 1772-1775) is used to produce nonlocal symmetries additional to those reported by Krause ({\it J Math Phys} {\bf 35} (1994) 5734-5748) in his study of the complete symmetry group of the Kepler Problem. The technique is shown to be applicable to related problems containing a drag term which have been used to model the motion of low altitude satellites in the Earth's atmosphere and further generalisations. A consequence of the application of this technique is the demonstration of the group theoretical relationship between the simple harmonic oscillator and the Kepler and related problems. more...

In (Nucci M.C. 1994, Physica D 78 p.124), we have found that iterations of the nonclassical symmetries method give rise to new nonlinear equations, which inherit the Lie point symmetry algebra of the given equation. In the present paper, we show that special solutions of the right-order heir-equation correspond to classical and nonclassical symmetries of the original equations. An infinite number of nonlinear equations which possess nonclassical symmetries are derived. more...