Abstract
Probably the simplest formulation of Molodensky’s liquid-core problem for a mathematical description of nutation and polar motion has recently been given bySasao, Okubo, andSaito, in terms of four complex equations linking four complex variables. In the present paper, these equations are derived from a variational principle of Hamiltonian type, making use of group-theoretic symmetries. This approach is a generalization, to a model having an elastic mantle and a liquid core, of a method given by Poincaré for a model consisting of a rigid mantle and a liquid core. It is somewhat similar to a variational method used byJeffreys andVicente, but considerably simpler.
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Moritz, H. A variational principle for Moledensky’s liquid-core problem. Bull. Geodesique 56, 364–380 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02525735
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02525735