Generating functions and existence of contact symmetries of third order scalar ordinary differential equations.pdfVIP

Applied Mathematics and Computation 273 (2016) 1179–1189 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Applied Mathematics and Computation journal homepage: /locate/amc Generating functions and existence of contact symmetries of third order scalar ordinary differential equations R. Campoamor-Stursberg? IMI and Dpto de Geometría y Topología, Fac. CC. Matemáticas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Plaza de Ciencias 3, E-28040 Madrid, Spain article info PACS: 02.20Qs 02.30Jr Keywords: Lie symmetry method Generating function Point symmetry Contact symmetry Lie algebra abstract Analyzing the structure of generating functions associated to the contact symmetry condition of third order scalar ordinary differential equations, constraints guaranteeing that the ODE does not admit contact symmetries are obtained. Further, inspecting the subalgebras generated by contact symmetries having a speci?c form, an alternative procedure to generate third order equations with irreducible contact symmetry algebra sp(4) is developed. ? 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Lie point symmetries of scalar ordinary differential equations (ODEs) have been studied in detail by many authors, and their structure and classi?cation types are nowadays well known ([1–8] and references therein). For systems of ODEs, various general results also exist, although in this case the analysis is still far from being complete [9–13]. In this context, the notion of symmetries of differential equations more general than point symmetries, such as contact symmetries, was already considered by S. Lie in his pioneering work [1]. Various applications to Differential Geometry and physics, as well as the phenomenon of hidden symmetries, pointed out the necessity of studying and understanding in detail these generalizations of point symmetries [14–19]. Lie himself noted that, for many equations, contact symmetries could be reduced, via a local transformation, to a point symmetry on the transformed refere