Abstract This chapter uses the traditional Hamilton equations as the basis for an extended Hamiltonian theory in which time is treated as a coordinate. The traditional Hamilton equations, including the Hamiltonian form of the generalised energy theorem, will be combined into one set of extended Hamilton equations. The extended Hamilton theory developed in the chapter is of fundamental importance for the more advanced topics in mechanics. It is used to write the relativistically covariant Hamiltonian, which is then used to derive the Klein-Gordon equation of relativistic quantum mechanics. The extended Hamilton equations also provide the basis for the discussion of canonical transformations. The objective of extended Hamiltonian theory is to write the equations of motion in terms of an extended set of phase-space variables.
Abstract This chapter uses the traditional Hamilton equations as the basis for an extended Hamiltonian theory in which time is treated as a coordinate. The traditional Hamilton equations, including the Hamiltonian form of the generalised energy theorem, will be combined into one set of extended Hamilton equations. The extended Hamilton theory developed in the chapter is of fundamental importance for the more advanced topics in mechanics. It is used to write the relativistically covariant Hamiltonian, which is then used to derive the Klein-Gordon equation of relativistic quantum mechanics. The extended Hamilton equations also provide the basis for the discussion of canonical transformations. The objective of extended Hamiltonian theory is to write the equations of motion in terms of an extended set of phase-space variables.
Abstract This book provides an innovative and mathematically sound treatment of the foundations of analytical mechanics, and of the relation of classical mechanics to relativity and quantum theory. A distinguishing feature is its integration of special relativity into the teaching of classical mechanics. After a thorough review of the traditional theory, Part II of the book introduces extended Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods that treat time as a transformable coordinate rather than the fixed parameter of Newtonian physics. Advanced topics such as covariant Langrangians and Hamiltonians, canonical transformations, and Hamilton-Jacobi methods are simplified by the use of this extended theory. The definition of canonical transformation no longer excludes the Lorentz transformation of special relativity. This is also a book for those who study analytical mechanics to prepare for a critical exploration of quantum mechanics since comparisons to quantum mechanics appear throughout the text. The extended Hamiltonian theory with time as a coordinate is compared to Dirac's formalism of primary phase space constraints. The chapter on relativistic mechanics shows how to use covariant Hamiltonian theory to write the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations. The chapter on Hamilton-Jacobi theory includes a discussion of the closely related Bohm hidden variable model of quantum mechanics. Classical mechanics itself is presented with an emphasis on methods such as linear vector operators and dyadics that will familiarise the student with similar techniques in quantum theory. Several of the current fundamental problems in theoretical physics require a rethinking of the quantum–classical connection.
Abstract This book provides an innovative and mathematically sound treatment of the foundations of analytical mechanics and the relation of classical mechanics to relativity and quantum theory. A distinguishing feature of the book is its integration of special relativity into teaching of classical mechanics. After a thorough review of the traditional theory, the book introduces extended Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods that treat time as a transformable coordinate rather than the fixed parameter of Newtonian physics. Advanced topics such as covariant Langrangians and Hamiltonians, canonical transformations, and Hamilton-Jacobi methods are simplified by the use of this extended theory. And the definition of canonical transformation no longer excludes the Lorenz transformation of special relativity. This is also a book for those who study analytical mechanics to prepare for a critical exploration of quantum mechanics. Comparisons to quantum mechanics appear throughout the text. The extended Hamiltonian theory with time as a coordinate is compared to Dirac’s formalism of primary phase space constraints. The chapter on relativistic mechanics shows how to use covariant Hamiltonian theory to write the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations. The chapter on Hamilton-Jacobi theory includes a discussion of the closely related Bohm hidden variable model of quantum mechanics. Classical mechanics itself is presented with an emphasis on methods, such as linear vector operators and dyadics, that will familiarise the student with similar techniques in quantum theory. Several of the current fundamental problems in theoretical physics, such as the development of quantum information technology and the problem of quantising the gravitational field, require a rethinking of the quantum-classical connection.
We present a consistent and comprehensive treatise on the foundations of the extended Hamilton–Lagrange formalism — where the dynamical system is parametrized along a general system evolution parameter s, and the time t is treated as a dependent variable t(s) on equal footing with all other configuration space variables qi(s). In the action principle, the conventional classical action L1d t is then replaced by the generalized action L1d s, with L and L1denoting the conventional and the extended Lagrangian, respectively. It is shown that a unique correlation of L1and L exists if we refrain from performing simultaneously a transformation of the dynamical variables. With the appropriate correlation of L1and L in place, the extension of the formalism preserves its canonical form. In the extended formalism, the dynamical system is described as a constrained motion within an extended space. We show that the value of the constraint and the parameter s constitutes an additional pair of canonically conjugate variables. In the corresponding quantum system, we thus encounter an additional uncertainty relation. As a consequence of the formal similarity of conventional and extended Hamilton–Lagrange formalisms, Feynman's nonrelativistic path integral approach can be converted on a general level into a form appropriate for relativistic quantum physics. In the emerging parametrized quantum description, the additional uncertainty relation serves as the means to incorporate the constraint and hence to finally eliminate the parametrization. We derive the extended Lagrangian L1of a classical relativistic point particle in an external electromagnetic field and show that the generalized path integral approach yields the Klein–Gordon equation as the corresponding quantum description. We furthermore derive the space–time propagator for a free relativistic particle from its extended Lagrangian L1. These results can be regarded as the proof of principle of the relativistic generalization of Feynman's path integral approach to quantum physics.
Path integrals are by and large defined directly in terms of the configuration space representation of the quantum entity's degrees of freedom and employ the Lagrangian description of the quantum entity; most of the path integrals in this book follow this approach. The Hamiltonian provides another independent approach for defining path integrals and is discussed in this chapter. Two important path integrals, which are directly based on the Hamiltonian, are the following: (a) one that is defined on the degree of freedom's phase space , defined as the tensor product of the degree of freedom space and its canonical conjugate momentum space; and (b) path integrals using the coherent state basis instead of the coordinate basis. Path integrals defined on phase space, or for coherent states, are both based on the Hamiltonian. To put in the foreground the role of the Hamiltonian in quantum mechanics, the canonical equations connecting the Lagrangian to the Hamiltonian are discussed. A brief review of Hamiltonian mechanics, also called the canonical equations, is given in Section 5.1 and the connection of symmetries with conservation laws is discussed in Section 5.2. The Hamiltonian is derived from the Lagrangian in Section 5.3, for both Minkowski and Euclidean time. Phase space path integrals are defined in Section 5.4. Canonical quantization based on the Poisson brackets is discussed in Section 5.5, and Dirac brackets required for quantizing constrained systems are derived in Section 5.7. Coherent states and their path integrals are discussed in Sections 5.10 to 5.14.
Abstract The Hamilton-Jacobi theory is the apotheosis of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics: action functions encode all of the possible trajectories of a mechanical system satisfying certain criteria. These action functions are the solutions of a nonlinear, first-order partial differential equation, called the Hamilton-Jacobi equation. The characteristic equations of this differential equation are the extended Hamilton equations. Solution of a class of mechanics problems is thus reduced to the solution of a single partial differential equation. Aside from its use as a problem-solving tool, the Hamilton-Jacobi theory has particular importance because of its close relation to the Schroedinger formulation of quantum mechanics. This chapter discusses the connection between the Hamilton-Jacobi theory and the Schroedinger formulation, the Bohm hidden variable model and Feynman path integral method that are derived from it, Hamilton’s characteristic equations, complete integrals, separation of variables, canonical transformations, general integrals, mono-energetic integrals, relativistic Hamilton-Jacobi equation, quantum Cauchy problem, quantum mechanics, and classical mechanics.
In its usual presentation, classical mechanics appears to give time a very special role. But it is well known that mechanics can be formulated so as to treat the time variable on the same footing as the other variables in the extended configuration space. Such covariant formulations are natural for relativistic gravitational systems, where general covariance conflicts with the notion of a preferred physical-time variable. The standard presentation of quantum mechanics, in turn, again gives time a very special role, raising well known difficulties for quantum gravity. Is there a covariant form of (canonical) quantum mechanics? We observe that the preferred role of time in quantum theory is the consequence of an idealization: that measurements are instantaneous. Canonical quantum theory can be given a covariant form by dropping this idealization. States prepared by noninstantaneous measurements are described by ``spacetime smeared states.'' The theory can be formulated in terms of these states, without making any reference to a special time variable. The quantum dynamics is expressed in terms of the propagator, an object covariantly defined on the extended configuration space.