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Classical 18

This lecture summary discusses classical mechanics as a category, with physical systems as objects and processes between systems as morphisms. It provides two examples of Poisson maps: (1) the Galilei group acting on phase space, and (2) Hamiltonian flows generated by a Hamiltonian function. The lecture proves that Hamiltonian flows are Poisson maps by showing they preserve Poisson brackets. It concludes that time evolution in classical mechanics gives a Poisson map within the category of classical systems.

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15 views2 pages

Classical 18

This lecture summary discusses classical mechanics as a category, with physical systems as objects and processes between systems as morphisms. It provides two examples of Poisson maps: (1) the Galilei group acting on phase space, and (2) Hamiltonian flows generated by a Hamiltonian function. The lecture proves that Hamiltonian flows are Poisson maps by showing they preserve Poisson brackets. It concludes that time evolution in classical mechanics gives a Poisson map within the category of classical systems.

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damnation
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Classical Mechanics, Lecture 18

March 11, 2008


lecture by John Baez
notes by Alex Hoffnung

1 The Category of Classical Systems


A category is a bunch of things (objects) and processes (morphisms):

• /•

For us, the ‘things’ are physical systems in classical mechanics: Poisson manifolds. The ‘processes’
are certain maps between physical systems: Poisson maps.

Definition 1 Given two Poisson manifolds X and Y , a map φ: X → Y is Poisson if it is smooth


and
φ∗ : C ∞ (Y ) → C ∞ (X)
f 7→ f φ
preserves the Poisson brackets: given f, g ∈ C ∞ (Y )

{φ∗ (f ), φ∗ (g)} = φ∗ {f, g}

In fact, we have seen lots of Poisson maps. Any physical process in classical mechanics gives a
Poisson map.

Example: X = T ∗ (Rn ) is the phase space for a particle in Rn ; the Galilei group G(n + 1) acts on
X:
A: G(n + 1) × X → X
and in fact for each g ∈ G(n + 1) the map A(g): X → X is Poisson!

Example: X is any Poisson manifold, H ∈ C ∞ (X). Then we get a vector field on X and if vH is
integrable we get a flow
φ: R × X → X
(t, x) 7→ φt (x)
with
d
φt (x) = vH (φt (x))
dt
Given this, each map φt : X → X is Poisson!

Check: given F, G ∈ C ∞ (X) we want:

{φ∗t F, φ∗t G} = φ∗t {F, G}

This is true for t = 0 since φ0 : X → X is the identity, hence φ∗0 F = F . So, it is enough to show:

d d
{φ∗ F, φ∗t G} = φ∗t {F, G}
dt t dt
i.e.
d d
{φ∗ F, φ∗t G} (x) = φ∗t {F, G} (x)
dt t dt

1
d ∗ def. of pullback d
φ {F, G} (x) = {F, G} (φt (x))
dt t dt  
chain rule d
= d {F, G} φt (x)
dt
def. of φt
= d {F, G} vH (φt (x))
def. of vH
= vH {F, G} (φt (x))
Jacobi id.
= {H, {F, G}} (φt (x))
= ({{H, F } , G} + {F, {H, G}}) φt (x)

On the other hand:


   
d bilin. of {·,·} gives prod. rule d ∗ d ∗
{φ∗ F, φ∗t G} (x) = ∗ ∗
φ F, φt G + φt F, φt G (x)
dt t dt t dt
= {{H, φ∗t F } , φ∗t G} + {φ∗t F, {H, φ∗t G}} (x)

This agrees with the other side at t = 0.


(Note: H = φ∗t H since energy is conserved.)
So we have:
d ∗ d
φ {F, G} (x) = {φt F, φt G} (x)
∗ ∗
dt t t=0 dt t=0
for all x, so use φs (x) ∈ X:

d ∗ d
φ {F, G} φs (x) = {φt F, φt G} (φs (x))
∗ ∗
dt t dt
t=0 t=0
d
{F, G}φt+s (x) =
dt t=0
d
{F, G}φs (x) =
ds

We would like:
d d ∗
{F, G} φs (x) = {φ F, φ∗s G}
ds ds s
Ugh!

So: we have a category of Poisson manifolds and Poisson maps and time evolution for any Hamilto-
nian is a Poisson map.
Definition 2 A category consists of a collection of objects and for any pair of objects X and
Y a set of morphisms f : X → Y such that given f : X → Y and g: Y → Z we have a morphism
gf : X → Z, such that:
1. (hg)f = h(gf )
2. each X has an identity morphism 1X : X → X such that:
f 1X = f
1X g = g

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