Second-Order Time-Dependent Tangent Bundles and Geometric Mechanics

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to geometrize time dependent Lagrangian mechanics in a way that the framework of second order tangent bundles plays an essential role. To this end, we first introduce the concepts of time dependent connections and time dependent semisprays on a manifold $M$ and their induced vector bundle structures on the second order time dependent tangent bundle $\R\times T^2M$. Then we turn our attention to regular time Lagrangians and their interaction with $\R\times T^2M$ in different situations such as mechanical systems with potential fields, external forces and holonomic constraints. Finally we propose an examples to support our theory.