Finding the Hamiltonian for Cosmological Models in Fourth-Order Gravity Theories Without Resorting to the Ostrogradski or Dirac Formalism

Abstract

The Hamilton formalism of cosmological models in fourth-order theories of gravity is considered. An approach to constructing the Hamilton function is presented which starts by replacing the second order derivatives of configuration space coordinates by functions depending on these coordinates, its first order derivatives, and additional variables playing the role of configuration space coordinates. This formalism, which does not resort to the Ostrogradski or Dirac formalism, is elucidated and applied to examples. For a special class of Lagrange functions, it is demonstrated that the canonical coordinates of the considered formalism and of the Ostrogradski formalism are related via a canonical transformation. The canonical transformation is a transformation of the configuration space coordinates and a transformation of momentum components induced by the transformation of the configuration space coordinates for a special element of the class of Lagrange functions mentioned. The Wheeler-DeWitt equations belonging to this Lagrange function are related via minisuperspace coordinate transformations.