Canonical Hamiltonian Formulation Research Articles

Extension of Hamiltonian Mechanics to Non-Conservative Systems Via Higher-Order Dynamics

Abstract This paper presents a detailed review of the emerging topic of higher-order dynamics and their intrinsic variational structure, which has enabled—for the very first time in history—the general application of Hamiltonian formalism to non-conservative systems. Here the general theory is presented alongside several interesting applications that have been discovered to date. These include the direct modal analysis of non-proportionally damped dynamical systems, a new and more efficient algorithm for computing the resonant frequencies of damped systems with many degrees-of-freedom, and a canonical Hamiltonian formulation of the Navier–Stokes problem. A significant merit of the Hamiltonian formalism is that it leads to the transformation theory of Hamilton and Jacobi, and specifically the Hamilton–Jacobi equation, which reduces even the most complicated of problems to the search for a single scalar function (or functional, for problems in continuum mechanics). With the extension of the Hamiltonian framework to non-conservative systems, now every problem in classical mechanics can be reduced to the search for a single scalar. This discovery provides abundant opportunities for further research, and here we list just a few potential ideas. Indeed, the present authors believe there may be many more applications of higher-order dynamics waiting to be discovered.

A canonical Hamiltonian formulation of the Navier–Stokes problem

This paper presents a novel Hamiltonian formulation of the isotropic Navier–Stokes problem based on a minimum-action principle derived from the principle of least squares. This formulation uses the velocities $u_{i}(x_{j},t)$ and pressure $p(x_{j},t)$ as the field quantities to be varied, along with canonically conjugate momenta deduced from the analysis. From these, a conserved Hamiltonian functional $H^{*}$ satisfying Hamilton's canonical equations is constructed, and the associated Hamilton–Jacobi equation is formulated for both compressible and incompressible flows. This Hamilton–Jacobi equation reduces the problem of finding four separate field quantities ( $u_{i}$ , $p$ ) to that of finding a single scalar functional in those fields – Hamilton's principal functional ${S}^{*}[u_{i},p,t]$ . Moreover, the transformation theory of Hamilton and Jacobi now provides a prescribed recipe for solving the Navier–Stokes problem: find ${S}^{*}$ . If an analytical expression for ${S}^{*}$ can be obtained, it will lead via canonical transformation to a new set of fields which are simply equal to their initial values, giving analytical expressions for the original velocity and pressure fields. Failing that, if one can only show that a complete solution to this Hamilton–Jacobi equation does or does not exist, that will also resolve the question of existence of solutions. The method employed here is not specific to the Navier–Stokes problem or even to classical mechanics, and can be applied to any traditionally non-Hamiltonian problem.

Hamiltonian formulation and symplectic split-operator schemes for time-dependent density-functional-theory equations of electron dynamics in molecules

We revisit Kohn–Sham time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) equations and show that they derive from a canonical Hamiltonian formalism. We use this geometric description of the TDDFT dynamics to define families of symplectic split-operator schemes that accurately and efficiently simulate the time propagation for certain classes of DFT functionals. We illustrate these with numerical simulations of the far-from-equilibrium electronic dynamics of a one-dimensional carbon chain. In these examples, we find that an optimized 4th order scheme provides a good compromise between the numerical complexity of each time step and the accuracy of the scheme. We also discuss how the Hamiltonian structure changes when using a basis set to discretize TDDFT and the challenges this raises for using symplectic split-operator propagation schemes.

Global dynamical analysis of an electronic spin–orbit coupling system

By means of a canonical generalized momentum and a canonical conjugate spin variable, a complete canonical Hamiltonian formalism is designed to describe a coulomb field with electronic spin–orbit coupling in a semi-classical and non-relativistic way. After this operation, unlike the existing Lagrange formulation, the concepts of hidden momentum, hidden angular momentum and spin kinetic energy are not used in the canonical formalism. Besides, it is easy to find that there are four first integrals involving the conserved total energy and the conserved total angular momentum vector in an 8-dimensional phase space of the system. In this sense, the global dynamics is typically integrable, regular and non-chaotic, and each orbit in the phase space is a quasi-periodic 4-dimensional Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser(KAM) torus.

Path-integral derivation of the equations of the anomalous Hall effect

A path integral (Lagrangian formalism) is used to derive the effective equations of motion of the anomalous Hall effect with Berry's phase on the basis of the adiabatic condition $|E_{n\pm1}-E_{n}|\gg 2\pi\hbar/T$, where $T$ is the typical time scale of the slower system and $E_{n}$ is the energy level of the fast system. In the conventional definition of the adiabatic condition with $T\rightarrow {\rm large}$ and fixed energy eigenvalues, no commutation relations are defined for slower variables by the Bjorken-Johnson-Low prescription except for the starting canonical commutators. On the other hand, in a singular limit $|E_{n\pm1}-E_{n}|\rightarrow \infty$ with specific $E_{n}$ kept fixed for which any motions of the slower variables $X_{k}$ can be treated to be adiabatic, the non-canonical dynamical system with deformed commutators and the Nernst effect appear. In the Born-Oppenheimer approximation based on the canonical commutation relations, the equations of motion of the anomalous Hall effect is obtained if one uses an auxiliary variable $X_{k}^{(n)}=X_{k}+{\cal A}^{(n)}_{k}$ with Berry's connection ${\cal A}^{(n)}_{k}$ in the absence of the electromagnetic vector potential $eA_{k}(X)$ and thus without the Nernst effect. It is shown that the gauge symmetries associated with Berry's connection and the electromagnetic vector potential $eA_{k}(X)$ are incompatible in the canonical Hamiltonian formalism. The appearance of the non-canonical dynamical system with the Nernst effect is a consequence of the deformation of the quantum principle to incorporate the two incompatible gauge symmetries.

Gauge fixing and constrained dynamics

We review the Dirac formalism for dealing with constraints in a canonical Hamiltonian formulation, discuss gauge freedom, and display constraints for gauge theories in a general context. We introduce the Dirac bracket and show that it provides a consistent method to remove any gauge freedom present. We discuss stability in evolution of gauge theories and show that fixing all gauge freedom is sufficient to ensure well-posedness for a large class of gauge theories. Electrodynamics provides examples of the methods outlined for general gauge theories. Future work will apply the formalism, and results derived here, to General Relativity.

Comment on Clebsch’s 1857 and 1859 papers on using Hamiltonian methods in hydrodynamics

The present paper is a companion of two translated articles by Alfred Clebsch, titled “On a general transformation of the hydrodynamical equations” and “On the integration of the hydrodynamical equations” ( https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/s13129-021-00015-8 , https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/s13129-021-00016-7 ). The originals were published in the “Journal für die reine and angewandte Mathematik” (1857 and 1859). Here we provide a detailed critical reading of these articles, which analyzes methods, and results of Clebsch. In the first place, we try to elucidate the algebraic calculus used by Clebsch in several parts of the two articles that we believe to be the most significant ones. We also provide some proofs that Clebsch did not find necessary to explain, in particular concerning the variational principles stated in his two articles and the use of the method of Jacobi’s Last Multiplier. When possible, we reformulate the original expressions by Clebsch in the language of vector analysis, which should be more familiar to the reader. The connections of the results and methods by Clebsch with his scientific context, in particular with the works of Carl Jacobi, are briefly discussed. We emphasize how the representations of the velocity vector field conceived by Clebsch in his two articles, allow for a variational formulation of hydrodynamics equations in the steady and unsteady case. In particular, we stress that what is nowadays known as the “Clebsch variables”, permit to give a canonical Hamiltonian formulation of the equations of fluid mechanics. We also list a number of further developments of the theory initiated by Clebsch, which had an impact on presently active areas of research, within such fields as hydrodynamics and plasma physics.

An invitation to the principal series

Scalar unitary representations of the isometry group of dd-dimensional de Sitter space SO(1,d)SO(1,d) are labeled by their conformal weights \DeltaΔ. A salient feature of de Sitter space is that scalar fields with sufficiently large mass compared to the de Sitter scale 1/\ell1/ℓ have complex conformal weights, and physical modes of these fields fall into the unitary continuous principal series representation of SO(1,d)SO(1,d). Our goal is to study these representations in d=2d=2, where the relevant group is SL(2,\mathbb{R})SL(2,ℝ). We show that the generators of the isometry group of dS_22 acting on a massive scalar field reproduce the quantum mechanical model introduced by de Alfaro, Fubini and Furlan (DFF) in the early/late time limit. Motivated by the ambient dS_22 construction, we review in detail how the DFF model must be altered in order to accommodate the principal series representation. We point out a difficulty in writing down a classical Lagrangian for this model, whereas the canonical Hamiltonian formulation avoids any problem. We speculate on the meaning of the various de Sitter invariant vacua from the point of view of this toy model and discuss some potential generalizations.

Local metric with parameterized evolution

AbstractWe present a canonical Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity in which τ, the parameter of system evolution, is external to spacetime, playing a role similar to what we call time in nonrelativistic mechanics. This approach, known as Stueckelberg–Horwitz–Piron (SHP) theory, inherits the full computational power of classical analytical mechanics while maintaining manifest covariance throughout and eliminating possible conflict with general diffeomorphism invariance. In particular, SHP theory simplifies the initial value problem with potential applications in highly dynamical interactions, such as black hole collisions. By allowing the energy–momentum tensor and metric to depend explicitly on τ, we may describe particle motion in geodesic form with respect to a dynamically evolving background metric. As a toy model, we consider a τ‐dependent mass M(τ), first as a perturbation in the Newtonian approximation and then for a Schwarzschild‐like metric. As expected, the extended Einstein equations imply a nonzero energy–momentum tensor, proportional to dM/dτ, representing a flow of mass and energy into spacetime that corresponds to the changing source mass. In τ‐equilibrium, this system becomes a generalized Schwarzschild solution for which the extended Ricci tensor and energy–momentum tensor vanish.

Superharmonic instability of nonlinear travelling wave solutions in Hamiltonian systems

The problem of linear instability of a nonlinear travelling wave in a canonical Hamiltonian system with translational symmetry subject to superharmonic perturbations is discussed. It is shown that exchange of stability occurs when energy is stationary as a function of wave speed. This generalizes a result proved by Saffman (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 159, 1985, pp. 169–174) for travelling wave solutions exhibiting a wave profile with reflectional symmetry. The present argument remains true for any non-canonical Hamiltonian system that can be cast in Darboux form, i.e. a canonical Hamiltonian form on a submanifold defined by constraints, such as a two-dimensional surface wave on a constant shearing flow, revealing a general feature of Hamiltonian dynamics.

On the nonperturbative graviton propagator

To reduce general relativity to the canonical Hamiltonian formalism and construct the path (functional) integral in a simpler and, especially in the discrete case, less singular way, one extends the configuration superspace, as in the connection representation. Then we perform functional integration over connection. The module of the result of this integration arises in the leading order of the expansion over a scale of the discrete lapse-shift functions and has maxima at finite (Planck scale) areas/lengths and rapidly decreases at large areas/lengths, as we have mainly considered previously; the phase arises in the leading order (Regge action) of the stationary phase expansion. Now we consider the possibility of confining ourselves to these leading terms in a certain region of the parameters of the theory; consider background edge lengths as an optimal starting point for the perturbative expansion of the theory; estimate the background length scale and consider the form of the graviton propagator. In parallel with the general simplicial structure, we consider the simplest periodic simplicial structure with a part of the variables frozen (“hypercubic”), for which also the propagator in the leading approximation over metric variations can be written in a closed form.

Hidden symmetries, trivial conservation laws and Casimir invariants in geophysical fluid dynamics

From a manifestly invariant Lagrangian density based on Clebsch fields and suitable for geophysical fluid dynamics, non-trivial conservation laws and their associated symmetries are described in arbitrary coordinates via Noether’s first theorem. Potential vorticity conservation is however shown to be a trivial law of the second kind with no relevance to Noether’s first theorem. A canonical Hamiltonian formulation is obtained in which Dirac constraints explicitly include the possibly time-dependent metric tensor. It is shown that all Dirac constraints are primary and of the second class, which implies that no infinite-dimensional symmetry transformations of Clebsch fields exist and that Noether’s second theorem does not apply to the governing equations. Therefore, the considered Lagrangian density does not admit a symmetry associated with potential vorticity conservation via Noether’s two theorems. Finally, the corresponding non-canonical Hamiltonian structure with time-dependent strong constraints is derived using tensor components for arbitrary coordinates. The existence of Casimir invariants is linked to trivial conservation laws of the second kind and to symmetries that become hidden after a transformation away from canonical dynamical fields.

Twistor formulation of a massive particle with rigidity

A massive rigid particle model in (3+1) dimensions is reformulated in terms of twistors. Beginning with a first-order Lagrangian, we establish a twistor representation of the Lagrangian for a massive particle with rigidity. The twistorial Lagrangian derived in this way remains invariant under a local U(1)×U(1) transformation of the twistor and other relevant variables. Considering this fact, we carry out a partial gauge-fixing so as to make our analysis simple and clear. We develop the canonical Hamiltonian formalism based on the gauge-fixed Lagrangian and perform the canonical quantization procedure of the Hamiltonian system. Also, we obtain an arbitrary-rank massive spinor field in (3+1) dimensions via the Penrose transform of a twistor function defined in the quantization procedure. Then we prove, in a twistorial fashion, that the spin quantum number of a massive particle with rigidity can take only non-negative integer values, which result is in agreement with the one shown earlier by Plyushchay. Interestingly, the mass of the spinor field is determined depending on the spin quantum number.

Hamiltonian dynamics of cosmological quintessence models

The time-evolution dynamics of two nonlinear cosmological real gas models has been reexamined in detail with methods from the theory of Hamiltonian dynamical systems. These examples are FRWL cosmologies, one based on a gas, satisfying the van der Waals equation and another one based on the virial expansion gas equation. The cosmological variables used are the expansion rate, given by the Hubble parameter, and the energy density. The analysis is aided by the existence of global first integral as well as several special (second) integrals in each case. In addition, the global first integral can serve as a Hamiltonian for a canonical Hamiltonian formulation of the evolution equations. The conserved quantities lead to the existence of stable periodic solutions (closed orbits) which are models of a cyclic Universe. The second integrals allow for explicit solutions as functions of time on some special trajectories and thus for a deeper understanding of the underlying physics. In particular, it is shown that any possible static equilibrium is reachable only for infinite time.

Canonical structure of BHT massive gravity in warped AdS3 sector

We investigate the asymptotic structure of the three dimensional warped anti de sitter black holes in the Bergshoeff, Hohm and Townsend massive gravity using the canonical Hamiltonian formalism. We define the canonical asymptotic guage generators, which produce the conserved charges and the asymptotic symmetry group for the warped anti de sitter black holes. The attained symmetry group is described by a semi direct sum of a Virasoro and a KacMoody algebra. Using the Sugawara construction, we obtain a direct sum of two Virasoro algebras. We show that not only the asymptotic conserved charges satisfy the first law of black hole thermodynamics, but also they lead to the expected Smarr formula for the warped anti de sitter black holes. We also show that the black hole entropy obeys the Cardy formula of the dual conformal field theory .

Gauged twistor formulation of a massive spinning particle in four dimensions

We present a gauged twistor model of a free massive spinning particle in four-dimensional Minkowski space. This model is governed by an action, referred to here as the gauged generalized Shirafuji (GGS) action, that consists of twistor variables, auxiliary variables, and $U(1)$ and $SU(2)$ gauge fields on the one-dimensional parameter space of a particle's worldline. The GGS action remains invariant under reparametrization and the local $U(1)$ and $SU(2)$ transformations of the relevant variables, although the $SU(2)$ symmetry is nonlinearly realized. We consider the canonical Hamiltonian formalism based on the GGS action in the unitary gauge by following Dirac's recipe for constrained Hamiltonian systems. It is shown that just sufficient constraints for the twistor variables are consistently derived by virtue of the gauge symmetries of the GGS action. In the subsequent quantization procedure, these constraints turn into simultaneous differential equations for a twistor function. We perform the Penrose transform of this twistor function to define a massive spinor field of arbitrary rank, demonstrating that the spinor field satisfies generalized Dirac-Fierz-Pauli equations with $SU(2)$ indices. We also investigate the rank-one spinor fields in detail to clarify the physical meanings of the $U(1)$ and $SU(2)$ symmetries.

Analysis of the attitude dynamics of a spacecraft on a stationary orbit around an asteroid via Poincaré section

Attitude dynamics of spacecraft subjected to the gravity gradient torque is a fundamental problem in the astrodynamics and space engineering. The interest in asteroid missions for the scientific exploration and near-Earth object (NEO) hazard mitigation has been increasing ever since the last two decades. The studies on attitude dynamics of spacecraft around asteroids are necessary for the design of the attitude control system. In this paper, the full nonlinear attitude dynamics of a rigid spacecraft on a stationary orbit around a uniformly-rotating asteroid is analyzed via the canonical Hamiltonian formalism and the dynamical systems theory. The nonlinear equations of attitude motion are obtained by Hamilton's canonical equations, in which the perturbations due to the gravity gradient torque and the precession of the orbital frame are both considered. A numerical method using a kind of generalized Poincaré section is then utilized to investigate the dynamical behavior of the nonlinear equations of attitude motion. The generalized Poincaré section technique is used to trace differences between the torque-free attitude motion and the gravity-gradient-perturbed motion. The effects of the coefficients C20 and C22 of the non-central gravity field of the asteroid are especially concerned. We find that under the perturbation of the gravity gradient torque, the attitude motion is significantly chaotic. We also find that due to the non-central gravity field of the asteroid, the attitude dynamics of the spacecraft is modified significantly in comparison with the classical attitude dynamics on a circular orbit in a central gravity field.

Near horizon symmetry and entropy of black holes in the presence of a conformally coupled scalar

We analyze the near horizon conformal symmetry for black hole solutions in gravity with a conformally coupled scalar field using the method proposed by Majhi and Padmanabhan recently. It is shown that the entropy of the black holes of the form ds2 = −f(r) dt2 + dr2/f(r) + ⋅⋅⋅ agrees with the Wald entropy. This result is different from the previous result obtained by M Natsuume, T Okamura and M Sato using the canonical Hamiltonian formalism, which claims a discrepancy from the Wald entropy.

Covariant phase space, constraints, gauge and the Peierls formula

It is well known that both the symplectic structure and the Poisson brackets of classical field theory can be constructed directly from the Lagrangian in a covariant way, without passing through the noncovariant canonical Hamiltonian formalism. This is true even in the presence of constraints and gauge symmetries. These constructions go under the names of the covariant phase space formalism and the Peierls bracket. We review both of them, paying more careful attention, than usual, to the precise mathematical hypotheses that they require, illustrating them in examples. Also an extensive historical overview of the development of these constructions is provided. The novel aspect of our presentation is a significant expansion and generalization of an elegant and quite recent argument by Forger and Romero showing the equivalence between the resulting symplectic and Poisson structures without passing through the canonical Hamiltonian formalism as an intermediary. We generalize it to cover theories with constraints and gauge symmetries and formulate precise sufficient conditions under which the argument holds. These conditions include a local condition on the equations of motion that we call hyperbolizability, and some global conditions of cohomological nature. The details of our presentation may shed some light on subtle questions related to the Poisson structure of gauge theories and their quantization.

First law of mechanics for black hole binaries with spins

We use the canonical Hamiltonian formalism to generalize to spinning point particles the first law of mechanics established for binary systems of nonspinning point masses moving on circular orbits [A. Le Tiec, L. Blanchet, and B. F. Whiting, Phys. Rev. D 85, 064039 (2012)]. We find that the redshift observable of each particle is related in a very simple manner to the canonical Hamiltonian and, more generally, to a class of Fokker-type Hamiltonians. Our results are valid through linear order in the spin of each particle, but hold also for quadratic couplings between the spins of different particles. The knowledge of spin effects in the Hamiltonian allows us to compute spin-orbit terms in the redshift variable through 2.5PN order, for circular orbits and spins aligned or anti-aligned with the orbital angular momentum. To describe extended bodies such as black holes, we supplement the first law for spinning point-particle binaries with some ``constitutive relations'' that can be used for diagnosis of spin measurements in quasi-equilibrium initial data.