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Linearize the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body about rotation with angular speed $\Omega$ along the third principal axis. The transverse perturbations obeyand henceCyclic permutation gives the corresponding equations about the other two axes. For $I_1<I_2<I_3$, the squared frequency is positive about axes one and three, whereas the intermediate-axis equation has a positive exponential-growth coefficient.

In principal axes, $2E=\sum I_i{\omega }_i^2$ and $L^2=\sum I_i^2{\omega }_i^2$. Substitute the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body:For the squared angular momentum,Thus both $E$ and $L^2$ are conserved, even though the body-frame components of $L$ generally change.

Here $(I_1,I_2,I_3)=(20,17,5)M{a}^2/12$, so $I_1>I_2>I_3$ and $e_2$ is the intermediate axis. Eliminating the other components from $L^2=2I_{2}E$ and the conservation of energy relation gives, with $J=2E-I_2{\omega }_2^2$,Thus the second Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body reduces toThe sign is minus the sign of ${\omega }_1{\omega }_3$; it is constant along a nontrivial branch. Let $\Omega =\sqrt{24E/(17M{a}^2)}$. Since ${\omega }_2(0)=0$, integration yields ${\omega }_2(t)=\pm \Omega \tanh (3\Omega t/5)$, with the same sign as in the scalar equation. The remaining components areTheir initial squares are fixed by the preceding algebraic formulas with $J=2E$; their initial signs determine the branch. Hence $\boxed{\omega (t)⟶\pm \Omega e_2}$ as $t\to \infty$. This trajectory is an intermediate-axis separatrix: approaching intermediate-axis rotation on this special conserved-energy level does not make that rotation stable to generic perturbations. If $E=0$, all components vanish identically.

A Poisson bivector is a smooth antisymmetric contravariant two-tensorwhose bracket on smooth functions,satisfies the Jacobi identity. Bilinearity and antisymmetry are immediate, and the product rule makes the bracket a derivation in each argument. Together these properties define a Poisson manifold. Unlike a symplectic form, the Poisson bivector need not be nondegenerate.

Apply the Jacobi identity to the coordinate functions. Since $\{x^i,x^j\}={\omega }^{ij}$,Changing ${\omega }^{im}$ to $-{\omega }^{mi}$ and rearranging the three summands gives the printed coordinate Jacobi condition for a Poisson bivector:This is also sufficient: expanding the Jacobiator of three arbitrary smooth functions, all terms involving second derivatives cancel in pairs by antisymmetry. The remaining coefficient of ${\partial }_{i}F{\partial }_{j}G{\partial }_{k}H$ is the coordinate-function Jacobiator displayed above.

For a Lie algebra, the natural global space carrying the proposed linear bracket is its dual space ${\mathfrak{g}}^{\ast }$. If $v^i$ is the chosen basis, define its linear coordinate function by $x^i(\ell )=\ell (v^i)$. The Lie-Poisson bracket iswhere $d{F}_{\ell },d{G}_{\ell }$ are elements of $\mathfrak{g}=({\mathfrak{g}}^{\ast }{)}^{\ast }$. On a general manifold the same coordinate expression gives a local construction; a global one requires compatible transition rules. The use of ${\mathfrak{g}}^{\ast }$ supplies that compatibility intrinsically.

Here ${\omega }^{ij}=c_r^{ij}{x}^r$ and ${\partial }_m{\omega }^{jk}=c_m^{jk}$. The left side of the coordinate Jacobi condition for a Poisson bivector is thereforeThe final coefficient is the negative of the coefficient of $v^r$ in the Lie algebra identity $[v^i,[v^j,v^k]]+[v^j,[v^k,v^i]]+[v^k,[v^i,v^j]]=0$. Thus the Lie-Poisson bracket satisfies the Jacobi identity.

It remains to find the Lie algebra structure constants for the printed rotation fields. Distinguish their original spatial coordinates $(x,y,z)$ from the coordinates $(x^1,x^2,x^3)$ on the dual space. Use the conventional Lie bracket of vector fields. Their component vectors are $(0,-z,y)$, $(z,0,-x)$ and $(-y,x,0)$, respectively. For example,Similarly,The negative sign is essential: these are the fundamental fields of a left rotation action with the stated Lie bracket of vector fields, and consequently have the infinitesimal left-action sign convention discussed above. The first field here has component $y{\partial }_z$, as printed in the PDF.

The Lie-Poisson bracket on the dual space consequently hasFor the evolution convention $\dot{F}=\{F,H\}$, the Hamiltonian function has derivatives $(2A{x}^1,2B{x}^2,2C{x}^3)$. Substitution gives the quadratic rotational Lie-Poisson dynamicsThese are Euler-type Hamilton's equations on a noncanonical Poisson manifold. When $A=1/(2I_1)$, $B=1/(2I_2)$ and $C=1/(2I_3)$ with positive principal inertias, they are the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body in body angular-momentum coordinates. As a check, $H$ is conserved by antisymmetry of the Poisson bracket, and $C_0=(x^1{)}^2+(x^2{)}^2+(x^3{)}^2$ is a Casimir function of a Poisson manifold. Direct differentiation of $C_0$ in the three equations cancels the terms $4[(C-B)+(A-C)+(B-A)]x^1{x}^2{x}^3$. The Hamiltonian flow therefore lies on both an energy level and a sphere, a symplectic leaf of this signed rotational bracket.

The Poisson bracket is $\{f,g\}=\mathbf{r}\cdot (\nabla f\times \nabla g)$. Since $\nabla {\rho }^2=2\mathbf{r}$, the scalar triple product vanishes, andEquivalently, check the identity on $x,y,z$ and extend to every polynomial using the Leibniz rule. Thus ${\rho }^2$ is a Casimir function of a Poisson manifold of this rotational Lie-Poisson structure on R3.

The Hamilton's equations areLinearization about $(1,0,0)$ gives $\dot{\alpha }=0$, $\dot{\beta }=(C-A)\gamma$, $\dot{\gamma }=(A-B)\beta$. The two nonzero exponents satisfy ${\lambda }^2=(C-A)(A-B)$. ConsequentlyWhen $A$ is outside this interval the transverse motion is oscillatory. At equality the linearization is nonhyperbolic; if just one transverse coupling vanishes, the other permits secular linear growth, rather than an exponential instability. This is the familiar intermediate-axis instability described by the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body.

A principal body frame is an orthonormal basis ${\mathbf{e}}_a(t)$ fixed in the rotating body and aligned with its principal axes. If $R(t)$ is the rotation matrix whose columns are these vectors, differentiating $R^{T}R=I$ shows that $\dot{R}{R}^T$ is skew-symmetric. Every skew-symmetric linear map in three dimensions is cross product with a unique vector $\mathbf{\omega }$, so

For any vector $\mathbf{A}=A_a{\mathbf{e}}_a$,Applying this to the conserved angular momentumgives the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body:

Multiplying these equations respectively by ${\omega }_i$ and summing proves conservation of kinetic energy; multiplying by $I_i{\omega }_i$ and summing proves conservation of squared angular momentum. Thus the torque-free rigid-body invariants areSolving these two linear equations for the first two squared components givesUsing $I_3{\dot{\omega }}_3=(I_1-I_2){\omega }_1{\omega }_2$ yields the quartic equation for one component of torque-free angular velocity:

Let $e_1,e_2,e_3$ be a principal body frame, let $I_1,I_2,I_3$ be the corresponding principal moments of inertia, and write the angular velocity as $\mathbf{\omega }={\sum }_i{\omega }_i{e}_i$. The body-frame components of the angular momentum areNo external torque acts, so $\mathbf{L}$ is constant in the fixed space frame. Since a body-fixed basis vector satisfies ${\dot{e}}_i=\mathbf{\omega }\times e_i$,Taking body-frame components gives the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body:

Multiply the three Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body by ${\omega }_1,{\omega }_2,{\omega }_3$ and add. The cubic terms cancel, giving conservation of the rotational kinetic energyInstead multiply the equations by $I_1{\omega }_1,I_2{\omega }_2,I_3{\omega }_3$ and add. The cubic terms again cancel, givingthe squared magnitude of the conserved angular momentum. For an asymmetric body these two quadratic forms are not proportional, so the torque-free rigid-body invariants are independent.

Let $R$ be the center of mass and $g$ the uniform gravitational acceleration. The gravitational torque about $R$ is

Choose body-fixed principal axes of inertia. The inertial derivative of the angular momentum isFor torque-free motion $N=0$ and $L_i=I_i{\omega }_i$, giving the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body

For a symmetric top, let $I_1=I_2=I$ and let $I_3$ be the axial moment. Then ${\omega }_3$ is constant andThus ${\omega }_1^2+{\omega }_2^2$ is constant and the transverse angular-velocity vector rotates uniformly about the body symmetry axis. Its rate is $|\Omega |$; it precesses in the positive axial sense when $(I_3-I){\omega }_3>0$ and in the opposite sense when this product is negative.

A fixed space frame is an inertial orthonormal frame whose axes remain fixed in space. A principal body frame is attached to the rigid body and aligned with the principal axes of its inertia tensor, so that the tensor is diagonal with entries $I_1,I_2,I_3$.

If $e_i(t)$ are the body axes and $\omega$ is the angular velocity, then the derivative of a body-fixed basis vector isIn the principal frame,For torque-free motion, the angular momentum has zero space derivative. ThereforeTaking body-frame components gives the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body:

For an axisymmetric body, put $I_1=I_2=I$ and let $e_3$ be its symmetry axis. Decompose $\omega ={\omega }_1{e}_1+{\omega }_2{e}_2+{\omega }_3{e}_3$. ThenThus $L$ is a linear combination of $\omega$ and $e_3$, proving that the angular momentum, angular velocity, and symmetry axis are always coplanar. This is the coplanarity in a torque-free axisymmetric rigid body.

With the displayed signed Lie-Poisson bracket and evolution $\dot{F}=\{F,H\}$, the equations are ${\dot{x}}_1=2(C-B)x_2{x}_3$, ${\dot{x}}_2=2(A-C)x_3{x}_1$, and ${\dot{x}}_3=2(B-A)x_1{x}_2$. The energy and the Casimir function of a Poisson manifold $x_1^2+x_2^2+x_3^2$ are conserved. For $A=1/(2I_1)$, $B=1/(2I_2)$, $C=1/(2I_3)$ with positive inertias, these are the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body. Reversing the bracket while fixing $H$ reverses time orientation.

The Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body conserve rotational kinetic energy and squared angular momentum,Their common level sets are the intersection of two ellipsoids in angular-velocity space.