k-Cosymplectic Classical Field Theories: Tulczyjew and Skinner–Rusk Formulations

The k-cosymplectic Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms of first-order classical field theories are reviewed and completed. In particular, they are stated for singular and almost-regular systems. Subsequently, several alternative formulations for k-cosymplectic first-order field theories are developed: First, generalizing the construction of Tulczyjew for mechanics, we give a new interpretation of the classical field equations. Second, the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms are unified by giving an extension of the Skinner–Rusk formulation on classical mechanics.     

Quantization in generalized coordinates III-Lagrangian formulation

It is shown that if one incorporates the generalized coordinate quantum velocitiesQ ¹ as given byQ ¹=l[H,Q ¹](h=1) into the generalized classical Lagrangian for a free particle (the total energy),L=1/2Q ¹ g _tk Q ^k one does not obtain (no matter what ordering of the operatorsq ^l ,q ^k andg _lkwe choose the correct quantum Lagrangian operator which is a transformation from -1/2V² to generalized coordinates (Gruber, 1971, 1972).q ^l as given byq ^l=i[H,q ^l] turns out to be the Hermitian part of a more generaiized operator which we call the total generalized velocity operator similar to the notation in ear previous articles (Gruber, 1971, 1972). This total velocity operator really determines the fundamental structure governing our system in the Lagrangian formulation. We show that ft is through the total velocity operator that we make the transition from classical to quantum mechanics and through our procedure we arrive at the correct quantum Lagrangian operator.     

Lagrangian relative equilibria for a gyrostat in the three-body problem

In this paper we consider the noncanonical Hamiltonian dynamics of a gyrostat in the three-body problem. By means of geometric mechanics methods, we study the approximate Poisson dynamics that arise when we develop the potential of the system in Legendre series and truncate this to an arbitrary order k. After reduction of the dynamics by means of the two symmetries of the system, we consider the existence and number of equilibria which we denominate of Lagrangian type, in analogy with classic results on the topic. Necessary and sufficient conditions are established for their existence in an approximate dynamics of order k, and explicit expressions for these equilibria are given, this being useful for the subsequent study of their stability. The number of Lagrangian equilibria is thoroughly studied in approximate dynamics of orders zero and one. The main result of this work indicates that the number of Lagrangian equilibria in an approximate dynamics of order k for k ≥1 is independent of the order of truncation of the potential, if the gyrostat S ₀ is almost spherical. In relation to the stability of these equilibria, necessary and sufficient conditions are given for linear stability of Lagrangian equilibria when the gyrostat is almost spherical. In this way, we generalize the classical results on equilibria of the three-body problem and many results provided by other authors using more classical techniques for the case of rigid bodies.      

Quantization of the Schwarzschild Black Hole: A Noether Symmetry Approach

We study the canonical formalism of a spherically symmetric space-time. In the context of the 3+1 decomposition with respect to the radial coordinate r, we set up an effective Lagrangian in which a couple of metric functions play the role of independent variables. We show that the resulting r-Hamiltonian yields the correct classical solutions which can be identified with the space-time of a Schwarzschild black hole. The Noether symmetry of the model is then investigated by utilizing the behavior of the corresponding Lagrangian under the infinitesimal generators of the desired symmetry. According to the Noether symmetry approach, we also quantize the model and show that the existence of a Noether symmetry yields a general solution to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation which exhibits a good correlation with the classical regime. We use the resulting wave function in order to (qualitatively) investigate the possibility of the avoidance of classical singularities.     

Quantum Noether identities for non-local transformationsin higher-order derivatives theories

Based on the phase-space generating functional of the Green function for a system with a regular/singular higher-order Lagrangian, the quantum canonical Noether identities (NIs) under a local and non-local transformation in phase space have been deduced, respectively. For a singular higher-order Lagrangian, one must use an effective canonical action I_eff^P in quantum canonical NIs instead of the classical I^P in classical canonical NIs. The quantum NIs under a local and non-local transformation in configuration space for a gauge-invariant system with a higher-order Lagrangian have also been derived. The above results hold true whether or not the Jacobian of the transformation is equal to unity or not. It has been pointed out that in certain cases the quantum NIs may be converted to conservation laws at the quantum level. This algorithm to derive the quantum conservation laws is significantly different from the quantum first Noether theorem. The applications of our formulation to the Yang-Mills fields and non-Abelian Chern-Simons (CS) theories with higher-order derivatives are given, and the conserved quantities at the quantum level for local and non-local transformations are found, respectively.Received: 12 February 2002, Revised: 16 June 2003, Published online: 25 August 2003Z.-P. Li: Corresponding authorAddress for correspondence: Department of Applied Physics, Beijing Polytechnic University, Beijing 100022, P.R. China     

An application of functional equations to the analysis of the invariance identities of classical gauge field theory

The equations of motion for a particle in a classical gauge field are derived from the invariance identities ² and basic assumptions about the Lagrangian. They are found to be consistent with the equations of some other approaches to classical gauge-field theory, and are expressed in terms of a set of undetermined functions E. The functions E are found to satisfy a system of differential equations which has the same formal structure as a system of equations from Yang-Mills theory. ³ These results are obtained by a new method which applies techniques from the theory of functional equations to deduce the way in which the arguments of the Lagrangian must combine. The method constitutes an aid for obtaining the equations of motion when a non-gauge-invariant Lagrangian is chosen, and it is assumed that the equations of motion can be written in a gauge-invariant manner.     

Batalin-Vilkovisky field-antifield quantisation of fluctuations around classical field configurations

The Lagrangian field-antifield formalism of Batalin and Vilkovisky (BV) is used to investigate the application of the collective coordinate method to soliton quantisation. In field theories with soliton solutions, the Gaussian fluctuation operator has zero modes due to the breakdown of global symmetries of the Lagrangian in the soliton solutions. It is shown how Noether identities and local symmetries of the Lagrangian arise when collective coordinates are introduced in order to avoid divergences related to these zero modes. This transformation to collective and fluctuation degrees of freedom is interpreted as a canonical transformation in the symplectic field-antifield space which induces a time-local gauge symmetry. Separating the corresponding Lagrangian path integral of the BV scheme in lowest order into harmonic quantum fluctuations and a free motion of the collective coordinate with the classical mass of the soliton, we show how the BV approach clarifies the relation between zero modes, collective coordinates, gauge invariance and the center-of-mass motion of classical solutions in quantum fields. Finally, we apply the procedure to the reduced nonlinear O(3) σ-model.     

Electrodynamics without potentials

We construct a Lagrangian formulation of classical and quantum electrodynamics with-out using potentials.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No.5, pp. 67–73, May, 1989.     

Logicoalgebraic foundations of contact mechanics

The logicoalgebraic foundations of the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian techniques of contact mechanics are exhibited, by starting axiomatically with a classical system whose logic is a Boolean algebra.     

Projective differential geometry and geodesic conservation laws in general relativity. I: Projective actions

The Lagrangian structure of the geodesic equation allows an extension of classical projective geometry to one-parameter projective group actions onR×TM (whereM is the spacetime). We determine all those projective actions which arise by prolongation of oneparameter group actions onR×M. The relation between projective actions onR×TM and the equation of geodesic deviation is developed.     

Color Superconductivity in Supersymmetric Gauge Theories

The studies of superconductivity, dual superconductivity and color superconductivity have been undertaken through the breaking of supersymmetric gauge theories which automatically incorporate the condensation of monopoles and dyons leading to confining and superconducting phases. Constructing the total effective Lagrangian of N=2 SU(2) gauge theory with N _f =2 quark multiplets and quark chemical potential at classical and quantum levels, it has been demonstrated that baryon number symmetry is spontaneously broken as a consequence of the SU(2) strong gauge dynamics and the color superconductivity dynamically takes space at the non-SUSY vacuum.     

Noether theorem in higher-order Lagrangian mechanics

We study higher-order Lagrangian mechanics on thek-velocity manifold. The variational problem gives rise to new concepts, such as main invariants, Zermelo conditions, higher-order energies, and new conservation laws. A theorem of Noether type is proved for higher-order Lagrangians. The invariants to the infinitesimal symmetries are explicitly written. All this construction is a natural extension of classical Lagrangian mechanics.     

T4 gauge theory of gravity and new general relativity

We formulate a space-time translationT ₄ gauge theory of gravity on the Minkowski space-time with appropriate choice of the Lagrangian. By comparing the energy-momentum law of this theory with that of new general relativity constructed on the Weitzenböck space-time we find that in the classical limit the gauge potentials correspond to the parallel vector fields in the Weitzenböck space-time and the gauge field equation coincides with the field equation of gravity in new general relativity in the linearized version. Thus we conclude that in the classical limit theT ₄ gauge theory of gravity leads to the new general relativity.     

Projective geometry for polarizations in geometric quantization

It is important to know the extent to which the procedure of geometric quantization depends on a choice of polarization of the symplectic manifold that is the classical phase space. Published results have so far been restricted to real and transversal polarizations. It turns out that there is a natural characterization of real transversal Lagrangian distributions and maps among them using projective concepts. We give explicit constructions forR ²ⁿ .On sabbatical leave from the Department of Mathematics, University of Lancaster, England.     

Noether symmetries and the quantization of a Liénard-type nonlinear oscillator

The classical quantization of a Liénard-type nonlinear oscillator is achieved by a quantization scheme (M. C. Nucci. Theor. Math. Phys., 168:994–1001, 2011) that preserves the Noether point symmetries of the underlying Lagrangian in order to construct the Schrödinger equation. This method straightforwardly yields the Schrödinger equation in the momentum space as given in (V. Chithiika Ruby, M. Senthilvelan, and M. Lakshmanan. J. Phys. A: Math. Gen., 45:382002, 2012), and sheds light on the apparently remarkable connection with the linear harmonic oscillator.     

Invariance identities associated with finite gauge transformations and the uniqueness of the equations of motion of a particle in a classical gauge field

A certain class of geometric objects is considered against the background of a classical gauge field associated with an arbitrary structural Lie group. It is assumed that the components of these objects depend on the gauge potentials and their first derivatives, and also on certain gauge-dependent parameters whose properties are suggested by the interaction of an isotopic spin particle with a classical Yang-Mills field. It is shown that the necessary and sufficient conditions for the invariance of the given objects under a finite gauge transformation are embodied in a set of three relations involving the derivatives of their components. As a special case these so-called invariance identities indicate that there cannot exist a gauge-invariant Lagrangian that depends on the gauge potentials, the interaction parameters, and the4-velocity components of a test particle. However, the requirement that the equations of motion that result from such a Lagrangian be gauge-invariant, uniquely determines the structure of these equations.     

Hamiltonian Feynman-Kac and Feynman Formulae for Dynamics of Particles with Position-Dependent Mass

A Feynman formula is a representation of the semigroup, generated by an initial-boundary value problem for some evolutionary equation, by a limit of integrals over Cartesian powers of some space E, the integrands being some elementary functions. The multiple integrals in Feynman formulae approximate integrals with respect to some measures or pseudomeasures on sets of functions which take values in E and are defined on a real interval. Hence Feynman formulae can be used both to calculate explicitly solutions for such problems, to get some representations for these solutions by integrals over functions taking values in E (such representations are called Feynman-Kac formulae), to get approximations for transition probability of some diffusion processes and transition amplitudes for quantum dynamics and to get computer simulations for some stochastic and quantum dynamics. The Feynman formula is called a Hamiltonian Feynman formula if the space, Cartesian products of which are used, is the phase space of a classical Hamiltonian system; the corresponding Feynman-Kac formula is called a Hamiltonian Feynman-Kac formula. In the latter formula one integrates over functions taking values in the same phase space. In a similar way one can define Lagrangian Feynman formulae and Lagrangian Feynman-Kac formulae substituting the phase space by the configuration space.     

Coulomb scattering of an electron by a monopole

The Coulomb scattering of an electron by a magnetic monopole is analyzed using a lowest-order quantum perturbation approximation suggested by a two-potential Lagrangian form for classical electromagnetism, generalized through the use of spacetime algebra to include magnetic monopoles. Good agreement with existing conventional analyses of this problem is demonstrated.1. Work supported by Department of Energy contract DE-AC03-76SF00515.2. The idea to employ spacetime algebra (sometimes called Dirac algebra) to incorporate magnetic monopoles into classical electromagnetic theory was proposed by de Faria-Rosaet al. [3].3. This is a factori difference between the definition of 5 by Eq. (3) and that by Bjorken and Drell [6]. Since a cross section (without interference terms) is being calculated, we can ignore this distinction.     

Classical Electromagnetic Interaction of a Point Charge and a Magnetic Moment: Considerations Related to the Aharonov–Bohm Phase Shift

A fundamentally new understanding of the classical electromagnetic interaction of a point charge and a magnetic dipole moment through order v ² /c ² is suggested. This relativistic analysis connects together hidden momentum in magnets, Solem's strange polarization of the classical hydrogen atom, and the Aharonov–Bohm phase shift. First we review the predictions following from the traditional particle-on-a-frictionless-rigid-ring model for a magnetic moment. This model, which is not relativistic to order v ² /c ² , does reveal a connection between the electric field of the point charge and hidden momentum in the magnetic moment; however, the electric field back at the point charge due to the Faraday-induced changing magnetic moment is of order 1/c ⁴ and hence is negligible in a 1/c ² analysis. Next we use a relativistic magnetic moment model consisting of many superimposed classical hydrogen atoms (and anti-atoms) interacting through the Darwin Lagrangian with an external charge but not with each other. The analysis of Solem regarding the strange polarization of the classical hydrogen atom is seen to give a fundamentally different mechanism for the electric field of the passing charge to change the magnetic moment. The changing magnetic moment leads to an electric force back at the point charge which (i) is of order 1/c ² , (ii) depends upon the magnetic dipole moment, changing sign with the dipole moment, (iii) is odd in the charge q of the passing charge, and (iv) reverses sign for charges passing on opposite sides of the magnetic moment. Using the insight gained from this relativistic model and the analogy of a point charge outside a conductor, we suggest that a realistic multi-particle magnetic moment involves a changing magnetic moment which keeps the electromagnetic field momentum constant. This means also that the magnetic moment does not allow a significant shift in its internal center of energy. This criterion also implies that the Lorentz forces on the charged particle and on the point charge are equal and opposite and that the center of energy of each moves according to Newton's second law F=Ma where F is exactly the Lorentz force. Finally, we note that the results and suggestion given here are precisely what are needed to explain both the Aharonov–Bohm phase shift and the Aharonov–Casher phase shift as arising from classical electromagnetic forces. Such an explanation reinstates the traditional semiclassical connection between classical and quantum phenomena for magnetic moment systems.