{
  "abstract": "We develop a contraction-based perspective on impact-time guidance that augments a baseline homing command with a timing bias. The proposed perspective treats the prescribed schedule as a moving time-to-go isochron and regulates motion normal to that set through velocity-normal lateral acceleration while the interceptor's speed remains constant. We derive a transport equation that characterizes homing-compatible time-to-go coordinates and define a predictor defect that quantifies the mismatch of approximate maps. We show that the scalar timing channel induces a coordinate-invariant rank-one metric on the normal quotient. To account for bounded lateral acceleration, we formulate a robust scalar filter and derive a necessary and sufficient condition for pointwise feasibility. We then show that terminal calibration and funnel invariance establish first interception at the prescribed time under the stated assumptions. We also develop a preterminal alignment and homing handover that avoids singular inversion as lateral timing authority vanishes near collision-course alignment. The proposed perspective accommodates analytic, numerical, and learned time-to-go maps that satisfy the required calibration and regularity conditions.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.26906",
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Shivam Bajpai"
    },
    {
      "name": "Abhinav Sinha"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6e37w45stvtbn.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.26906",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6e37w45stvtbn",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.26906",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cs.MA"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cs.RO"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cs.SY"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "eess.SY"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "math.DS"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2202|Guidance and Control Systems"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214157356",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.26906",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-22",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6e37w45stvtbn.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:24:00Z",
      "native_id": "2609.26906",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.26906"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "mathematics",
      "origin": "arxiv:math.DS",
      "subfield": "dynamical-systems"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Impact-Time Guidance via Normal Contraction to a Time-to-Go Isochron",
  "title_text": "Impact-Time Guidance via Normal Contraction to a Time-to-Go Isochron",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:24:00Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6e37w45stvtbn",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}