Geodesics on the Ellipsoid and Monodromy

Abstract

The equations for geodesic flow on the ellipsoid are well known, and were first solved by Jacobi in 1838 by separating the variables of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation. In 1979 Moser investigated the case of the general ellipsoid with distinct semi-axes and described a set of integrals which weren't know classically. After reviewing the properties of geodesic flow on the three dimensional ellipsoid with distinct semi-axes, we investigate the three dimensional ellipsoid with the two middle semi-axes being equal, corresponding to a Hamiltonian invariant under rotations. The system is Liouville-integrable and thus the invariant manifolds corresponding to regular points of the energy momentum map are 3-dimensional tori. An analysis of the critical points of the energy momentum maps gives the bifurcation diagram. We find the fibres of the critical values of the energy momentum map, and carry out an analysis of the action variables. We show that the obstruction to the existence of single valued globally smooth action variables is monodromy.