Higher order variational time discretization of optimal control problems

We reconsider the variational integration of optimal control problems for mechanical systems based on a direct discretization of the Lagrange-dAlembert principle. This approach yields discrete dynamical constraints which by construction preserve important structural properties of the system, like the evolution of the momentum maps or the energy behavior. Here, we employ higher order quadrature rules based on polynomial collocation. The resulting variational time discretization decreases the overall computational effort.