Poisson Bracket

• Developed by Poisson, who was a student of Lagrange.

• Hamilton’s canonical equations of motion describe the time evolution
of the canonical variables (q,p) in phase space.
• Jacobi – framework of Hamiltonian mechanics restated in terms of
Poisson bracket formalism.
• Poisson bracket representation of Hamiltonian mechanics provides a
direct link between classical mechanics and quantum mechanics.
• Poisson bracket relations are invariant under canonical
transformation.
Poisson Bracket
• Fundamental PB are useful in testing the canonicality of phase
transformations.
• They are useful in determining some of the hidden constants of
motion.
• PB is a relationship between a pair of dynamical variables of any
holonomic system, which is invariant under canonical
transformations.
• PB are classical analogues of commutation relations between
operators in quantum mechanics.
Poisson Bracket
• The Poisson bracket of any two continuous functions of generalized
coordinates u(p, q) and v(p, q), is defined as:
𝑛
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑣
𝑢, 𝑣 𝑞,𝑝 = −
𝜕𝑞𝑖 𝜕𝑝𝑖 𝜕𝑝𝑖 𝜕𝑞𝑖
𝑖=1

• Properties
• 𝑢 𝑝, 𝑞, 𝑡 , 𝑣 𝑝, 𝑞, 𝑡 , 𝑤 𝑝, 𝑞, 𝑡 - dynamical variables in holonomic system
• With a degrees of freedom
• Generalised coordinates and momenta are 𝑞𝑖 , 𝑝𝑖
• PB of any two dynamic variable is anticommutative, 𝑢, 𝑣 = −[𝑣, 𝑢]
• As a corollary, 𝑢, 𝑢 = − 𝑢, 𝑢 = 0
• If a constant c is not a function of (𝑝, 𝑞, 𝑡) then, 𝑐𝑢, 𝑣 = 𝑢, 𝑐𝑣 = 𝑐 𝑢, 𝑣
• PB satisfies distributive property,
• 𝑢 + 𝑣, 𝑤 = 𝑢, 𝑤 + 𝑣, 𝑤 and 𝑢, 𝑣𝑤 = 𝑢, 𝑣 𝑤 + 𝑣 𝑢, 𝑤
• Partial derivative of PB satisfy,
𝜕 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑣
• 𝑢, 𝑣 = ,𝑣 + [𝑢, ]
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑡
• Jacobi identity is, 𝑢, [𝑣, 𝑤] + 𝑣, [𝑤, 𝑢] + 𝑤, [𝑢, 𝑣] = 0
• If 𝐹(𝑤1 , … 𝑤𝑛 ) is a differential function of 𝑤1 , … 𝑤𝑛 , then
𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹
• 𝑢, 𝐹 𝑤1 , … 𝑤𝑛 = 𝑢, 𝑤1 + ⋯ 𝑢, 𝑤𝑛
𝜕𝑤1 𝜕𝑤𝑛
Hamilton-Jacobi equation (and solution)
• Equivalent to other formalisms in classical mechanics.
• Hamilton–Jacobi equation is useful in identifying conserved quantities
for mechanical systems, even when the mechanical problem itself
cannot be solved completely.
• The Hamilton–Jacobi equation is the only formulation of mechanics
where the motion of a particle can be represented as a wave.
• The wave equation followed by mechanical systems is similar to
Schrödinger's equation.
• First order PDE from Hamilton’s principle.
Hamilton’s principal function (W formalism)
2
• Hamilton’s principle for a holonomic system, δ 1
𝐿𝑑𝑡 = δ𝑊 = 0
2
• where 𝑊 = 1
𝐿𝑑𝑡 is defined by Hamilton’s principle
• Hamilton’s principle is valid when both the terminal points are fixed in
space and time, this defines the function 𝑊 as well.
• 𝑊 = 𝑊(𝑞1𝑎 , … 𝑞𝑛𝑎 , 𝑞1𝑓 , … 𝑞𝑛𝑓 , 𝑡𝑎 , 𝑡𝑓 )
• 𝑡𝑎 , 𝑡𝑓 : initial and final instant of time
• 𝑞1𝑎 to 𝑞𝑛𝑎 : generalised coordinates of initial point.
• 𝑞1𝑓 to 𝑞𝑛𝑓 : generalised coordinates of final point.
• For a holonomic system with n degrees of freedom:
𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊
𝛿𝑊 = 𝛿𝑞𝑖𝑎 + 𝛿𝑞𝑖𝑓 + ∆𝑡𝑎 + ∆𝑡
𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑎 𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑓 𝜕𝑡𝑎 𝜕𝑡𝑓 𝑓
 2 2
𝑑𝑞𝑖 2 2
δ𝑊 = δ 𝑝𝑖 − 𝐻 𝑑𝑡 = δ 𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑞𝑖 − 𝐻𝑑𝑡 δ 𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑞𝑖 = δ𝐻 𝑑𝑡 + [𝑝𝑖 δ𝑞𝑖 ]12
1 𝑑𝑡 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2
δ 𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑞𝑖 = δ𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑞𝑖 + 𝑝𝑖 δ 𝑑𝑞𝑖 δ𝑊 = δ𝐻 𝑑𝑡 + [𝑝𝑖 δ𝑞𝑖 ]12 −δ 𝐻𝑑𝑡
1 1 1 1 1
𝜕𝐻
2 2 2 𝑞𝑖 = 𝜕𝑝𝑖 δ𝑊 = − 𝐻𝑓 ∆𝑓 𝑡 − 𝐻𝑎 ∆𝑎 𝑡 + 𝑝𝑖 δ𝑞𝑖 𝑓 − [𝑝𝑖 δ𝑞𝑖 ]𝑎
δ 𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑞𝑖 = δ𝑝𝑖 𝑞𝑖 𝑑𝑡 + 𝑝𝑖 δ 𝑑𝑞𝑖 Hamilton’s
1 1 1
equation
2 2 2 2 Comparing coefficients with
𝜕𝐻
δ 𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑞𝑖 = δ𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑡 + 𝑑(𝑝𝑖 δ𝑞𝑖 ) − δ𝑞𝑖 𝑑𝑝𝑖
1 1 𝜕𝑝𝑖 1 1
𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊
𝛿𝑊 = 𝛿𝑞𝑖𝑎 + 𝛿𝑞𝑖𝑓 + ∆𝑡𝑎 + ∆𝑡
2 2 2 2 𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑎 𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑓 𝜕𝑡𝑎 𝜕𝑡𝑓 𝑓
𝜕𝐻
δ 𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑞𝑖 = δ𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑡 + 𝑑(𝑝𝑖 δ𝑞𝑖 ) − δ𝑞𝑖 𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑡 𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊
1 1 𝜕𝑝𝑖 1 1 = −𝑝𝑖𝑎 = 𝑝𝑖𝑓
𝜕𝐻
𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑎 𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑓
𝑝𝑖 = − 𝜕𝑞
𝑖
Hamilton’s 𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊
= 𝐻𝑎 = −𝐻𝑓
equation 𝜕𝑡𝑎 𝜕𝑡𝑓
2 2 2 2
𝜕𝐻 𝜕𝐻 𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊
δ 𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑞𝑖 = δ𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑡 + 𝑑(𝑝𝑖 δ𝑞𝑖 ) + δ𝑞𝑖 𝑑𝑡 + 𝐻 𝑞𝑖𝑎 , =0 + 𝐻 𝑞𝑖𝑓 , =0
1 1 𝜕𝑝𝑖 1 1 𝜕𝑞𝑖 𝜕𝑡𝑎 𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑎 𝜕𝑡𝑓 𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑓
2 2 2
𝜕𝐻 𝜕𝐻
δ 𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑞𝑖 = δ𝑝𝑖 + δ𝑞𝑖 𝑑𝑡 + 𝑑(𝑝𝑖 δ𝑞𝑖 ) Time dependent Jacobi-Hamilton equation
1 1 𝜕𝑝𝑖 𝜕𝑞𝑖 1
Hamilton’s characteristic function (S formalism)
2
• Can be defined from principle of least action, δS = δ 1
𝑚𝑣𝑑𝑠 =
2
δ 1 𝑝𝑖 𝑑𝑞𝑖 = 0
• which is valid if δ𝐻 = 0
2
•S= 𝑝 𝑑𝑞𝑖
1 𝑖
• 𝑆 = 𝑆(𝑞𝑖𝑎 , 𝑞𝑖𝑓 , 𝐸𝑎,𝑓 )
𝜕𝑆 𝜕𝑆 𝜕𝑆
• 𝛿𝑆 = 𝛿𝑞𝑖𝑎 + 𝛿𝑞𝑖𝑓 + 𝛿𝐸
𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑎 𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑓 𝜕𝐸
2
•δ 𝑝 𝑑𝑞𝑖
1 𝑖
= [𝑝𝑖 δ𝑞𝑖 ]12 = 𝑝𝑖𝑓 δ𝑞𝑖𝑓 − 𝑝𝑖𝑎 δ𝑞𝑖𝑎
𝜕𝑆 𝜕𝑆 𝜕𝑆
• Comparing the coefficients: 𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑎
= −𝑝𝑖𝑎
𝜕𝑞𝑖𝑓
= 𝑝𝑖𝑓 𝐻 𝑞𝑖 ,
𝜕𝑞𝑖
=𝐸

Time independent Jacobi-Hamilton equation

 Solution to time dependent Jacobi-Hamilton equation

𝜕𝑊 𝜕𝑊
𝐻 𝑞𝑖 ,
𝜕𝑞𝑖
+
𝜕𝑡
=0 PDE of 1st order in unknown function W

Solution is a complete integral of the form: 𝑊 = 𝑊 𝑞1 , … 𝑞𝑛 , 𝑡, 𝛼1 , … 𝛼𝑛 + 𝐴

𝛼1 , … 𝛼𝑛 , 𝐴 are the constants of integration

𝜕𝑊
Jacobi theorem: = 𝛽𝑖 , where, 𝛽𝑖 are the n constants of motion
𝜕𝛼𝑖

𝛼’s are called first integrals of motion and 𝛽’s are called second integrals of motion