Integrable geodesic flows of non-holonomic metrics

Abstract

Normal geodesic flows flows of Carnot-Caratheodory are discussed from the point of view of the theory of Hamiltonian systems. The geodesic flows corresponding to left-invariant metrics and left- and -right-invariant rank 2 distributions on the three-dimensional Heisenberg group are analysed as integrable systems. The flows corresponding to left-invariant metrics and left-invariant distributions on Lie groups are reduced to Euler equations on Lie groups. Relation of these constructions to problems of analytical mechanics is discussed.