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arXiv:quant-ph/9904012 · Canadian Journal of Physics

Canonical transformations and the Hamilton-Jacobi theory in quantum mechanics

J.-H. Kim, H.-W. Lee

Published Jan 1, 1999• 19 citations
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Abstract

Canonical transformations using the idea of quantum generating functions are applied to construct a quantum Hamilton-Jacobi theory, based on the analogy with the classical case. An operator and a c-number form of the time-dependent quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation are derived and used to find dynamical solutions of quantum problems. The phase-space picture of quantum mechanics is discussed in connection with the present theory.PACS Nos.: 03.65-w, 03.65Ca, 03.65Ge

DOI
10.1139/cjp-77-6-411

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Canonical transformations using the idea of quantum generating functions are applied to construct a quantum Hamilton-Jacobi theory, based on the analogy with the classical case. An operator and a c-number form of the time-dependent quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation are derived and used to find dynamical solutions of quantum problems. The phase-space picture of quantum mechanics is discussed in connection with the present theory.PACS Nos.: 03.65-w, 03.65Ca, 03.65Ge
The nontrivial transformation of the phase space path integral measure under certain discretized analogs of canonical transformations is computed. This Jacobian is used to derive a quantum analog of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation for the generating function of a canonical transformation that maps any quantum system to a system with a vanishing Hamiltonian. A perturbative solution of the quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation is given. This solution gives a new way to compute quantum corrections for any soliton equation for which action-angle variables are known.
The quantum-mechanical version of the four kinds of classical canonical transformations is investigated by using non-Hermitian operator techniques. To help understand the usefulness of this approach, the eigenvalue problem of a harmonic oscillator is solved in two different types of canonical transformations. The quantum form of the classical Hamilton-Jacobi theory is also employed to solve time-dependent Schr\"odinger wave equations, showing that when one uses the classical action as a generating function of the quantum canonical transformation of time evolutions of state vectors, the corresponding propagator can easily be obtained.
Hamilton-Jacobi theory is a fundamental subject of classical mechanics and has also an important role in the development of quantum mechanics. Its conceptual framework results from the advantages of transformation theory and, for this reason, relates to the features of the generating function of canonical transformations connecting a specific Hamiltonian H to a new Hamiltonian K chosen to simplify Hamilton's equations of motion. Usually, the choice is between K=0 and a cyclic K depending on the new conjugate momenta only. Here, we investigate more general representations of the new Hamiltonian. Furthermore, it is pointed out that the two common alternatives of K=0 and a cyclic K should be distinguished in more detail. An attempt is made to clearly discern the two regimes for the harmonic oscillator and, not surprisingly, some correspondences to the quantum harmonic oscillator appear. Thanks to this preparatory work, generalized coordinates and momenta associated with the Hamilton's principal function S (i.e., K=0) are used to determine dependences in the Hamilton's characteristic function W (i.e., cyclic K). The procedure leads to the Schrodinger's equation where the Hamilton's characteristic function plays the role of the Schrodinger's wave function, whereas the first integral invariant of Poincare' takes the place of the reduced Planck constant. This finding advances the pedagogical value of the Hamilton-Jacobi theory in view of an introduction to Schrodinger's wave mechanics without the tools of quantum mechanics.
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.
We review here some conventional as well as less conventional aspects of the time-independent and time-dependent Hamilton-Jacobi (HJHJHJ) theory and of its connections with Quantum Mechanics. Less conventional aspects involve the HJHJHJ theory on the tangent bundle of a configuration manifold, the quantum HJHJHJ theory, HJHJHJ problems for general differential operators and the HJHJHJ problem for Lie groups.