Non-holonomic equations for the normal extremals in geometric control theory

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new, simplified system of equations for normal sub-Riemannian geodesics using a canonical partial connection, enhancing understanding of non-holonomic equations in geometric control theory.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach to derive geodesic equations in sub-Riemannian geometry via a canonical partial connection, applicable to non-holonomic mechanics and contact models.

Findings

Derived a new system of equations for normal sub-Riemannian geodesics.

Identified conditions for a canonical choice of complement and connection.

Applied the method to contact models with non-constant symbols.

Abstract

We provide a new and simple system of equations for the normal sub-Riemannian geodesics. These use a partial connection that we show is canonically available, given a choice of complement to the distribution. We also describe conditions which, if satisfied, mean that even this choice of complement is determined canonically, and that this determines a distinguished connection on the tangent bundle. Our approach applies to sub-Riemannian geometry the point of view of non-holonomic mechanics. The geodesic equations obtained split into mutually driving horizontal and complementary parts, and the method allows for particular choices of nice coframes. We illustrate this feature on examples of contact models with non-constant symbols.