New solvable problems in the dynamics of a rigid body about a fixed point in a potential field

• We determine the general form of the potential of the problem of motion of a rigid body about a fixed point, which allows the angular velocity to remain permanently in a principal plane of inertia of the body.
• Explicit solution of the problem of motion is reduced to inversion of a single integral.
• A several-parameter generalization of the classical case due to Bobylev and Steklov is found.
• Special cases solvable in elliptic and ultraelliptic functions of time are discussed.

We determine the general form of the potential of the problem of motion of a rigid body about a fixed point, which allows the angular velocity to remain permanently in a principal plane of inertia of the body. Explicit solution of the problem of motion is reduced to inversion of a single integral. A several-parameter generalization of the classical case due to Bobylev and Steklov is found. Special cases solvable in elliptic and ultraelliptic functions of time are discussed.