Euler Poincare Dynamics and Control on Lie Groupoids

Abstract

We extend the Euler Poincare formalism from Lie groups to Lie groupoids for optimal control problems. While Lie algebroids provide the standard infinitesimal framework, the groupoid formulation enables global trajectory reconstruction and naturally accommodates systems with non-trivial base manifolds. We derive the reduced EP equations on a Lie groupoid, specialize to the trivial groupoid, and illustrate the framework with a generalized rigid body on the sphere. A biological application to collective cell migration on a spherical tissue shows that the coupled dynamics of spatial migration and internal polarity rearrangement leads to optimal migration times of approximately 74 minutes, consistent with experimental observations. This work demonstrates how Lie groupoid methods broaden geometric control theory beyond standard rigid body systems.