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Classical Mechanics - Lecture 11

The document discusses Poisson brackets and canonical transformations in classical mechanics. Poisson brackets reveal the algebraic structure of conserved quantities and express the equations of motion similarly to quantum mechanics. Canonical transformations preserve the symplectic form and leave Hamilton's equations invariant, and form the symplectic group. Conserved quantities form a closed algebra under Poisson brackets.

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Tuhin Shaikh
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37 views14 pages

Classical Mechanics - Lecture 11

The document discusses Poisson brackets and canonical transformations in classical mechanics. Poisson brackets reveal the algebraic structure of conserved quantities and express the equations of motion similarly to quantum mechanics. Canonical transformations preserve the symplectic form and leave Hamilton's equations invariant, and form the symplectic group. Conserved quantities form a closed algebra under Poisson brackets.

Uploaded by

Tuhin Shaikh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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classical Mechanics

Lecture 11

Poisson Brackets Canonical Transformations

We explore some formal aspects of classical


now
mechanics in terms of a mathematical object called
the Poisson bracket Poisson brackets reveal the algebraic
structure of conserved
quantities They also put
the equations of classical mechanics in a
form that
closely reflects the equations of quantum mechanics as
was formulated
by Werner Heisenberg
The PoissonBracket

Let f qp g q p be functions of phase space


gi and pi Then the Poisson bracket
coordinates

between
f g is defined by

5.9
Following are some of the properties of the
Poisson bracket

1 Skew symmetry f 99 gf

2 Linearity ftp.g h f h β gh
α E IR
for β
Leibniz f h
3
fg h f 9,4 g

4 Jacobi Identity

f gn 9 hf h f g

Comments

1 711 these also satisfied by


properties are
the
generators of a Liegroup The collection
of these generators are known as a
Lie algebra
For
example let us take the rotation in
group
consider the independent
3D 50137 If we
rotation Rico Ry O Rz 03 around the
x̅ j I anes The generators Ja of these
transformations can be defined as

Ra Oa exp i0aJa no sum

Then it is to show that Ja have forms


easy
such that

J1 J2 iJ3 Js Js iJ 53 Ji iJz

or Ja Jb i Eabc Jc

This is the Lie algebra of 80 3 M


as the momentum algebra
angular
Although the Lie algebra of the 5013 group have
been defined in terms
of 3 3 matrices Ja this
algebra has representations in different
dime sions
For example for spin 1 24 particles in
I 1
quantum mechanics the rotations of the
two component wavefunction is affected
by the 2 2 unitary not orthogonal matrices
i ata no sum
Haloa exp

where I a
Ita with Ta as the Pauli
matrices

9 2 1 rs

Ta are the generators and they satisfy


Ta Tb it c abete

which the angular momentum algebra


is
if
we set 4 1

It is to see that the commutator A B


easy
satify all properties of the Poisson bracket
four

2 The poisson bracket between the phase


space coordinates
become
I
9i 9,7 0

Pi P o

and 9i P Sij
The time evolution of function f qp t on

phase space can be written as

f H
If
Proof
ftp.iit fiPit3f

f H

a time
3
Suppose Q q p is independent
conserved quantity Then
If 0

9 H 0

If P 9p is another quantity such that


P H o

then by the Jacobi identity

P 9 H 9 H.PT 4 P

H P Q o

T PQ
is also conserved
day 0

Thus we see that conserved quantities form


a closed hie under the Poisson
algebra
bracket
Examples

Hugular momentum
1

I w̅ xp
In components
La Eabc Tb Pc

L rap V3 P2 L2 Tsp T
P
L T.kz rap

Then 4.12
In
Siap Sispz 38 i r
dis

728 3
T Siz dist Si P3

Sir 8 313 Sir ritz Sis 8 25 Sissi


ripz

Sissi rap Sis P Siaf BP 82 B


Tip Tap 13

Thus we have hi ha Ls and similar


we have 12,13 L and hz.li ha

Thus if L1 and L2 are then so must


conserved

The total angular momentum

L L
then
22 Li L hj.li

Lj Li 2

So L is also conserved

Canonical Transformations

When discussing the Euler Lagrange equations


we saw that a general coordinate transformation
g
9 9i t
leave the
form of the Euler Lagrange equation
invariant We can similarly ask what genera
transformation of the phase space coordinates
can we make that will leave the form of
Hamilton's equations invariant

To do this let us define a wedge product such


that
desirds d5jnd5i

where 5 91,92 9n Pi P2 Pu

Note that the antisymmetry of the wedge product


implies
d nd o no sum

We then introduce a 2 form

22 dgin dpi
If we define a 2n 2n matrix J by

r.fi
then we can
express 22
as

22 d
ffi ird5j
with 5 9i Pi

Now if we make a generallinear transformation

5 5 5 5

Then do 2
day IP
AP 49
3 ftp.P
Then daird Pi ᵈ9e
19
3 da rope
If P date

3 ftp.dpidpe

tidae III ftp afore

3 ftp.dedpe

We that all
If
see are
39g
elements of the Jacobian matrix
Jij j
And so we can write

ñ 2 doin d P

Jij d5 d5

Tij Jin d 5k Ted e

So
if we
require 52 I then

Jik Jij Jje The

Is I r

Thus the transformations need to be of the


above condition Matrices 5
form that satisfy the
that satisfy this condition form the group
known 2n.IR the symplectic
as
sp group
I 1 I groy
The invariant form 12 is called the symplectic
form The transformations that leave J2
invar ant
are known as canonical
transformations

Exercises 1 Express Hamilton's equation using


the form

1
a

Then show that the equations have the


same form under a canonical
transforma ion
2 Show that the Poisson bracket f 9
of two functions f 9 p and g q p are
is invariant under a canonical
transform tion
Comment
1 In the form the element is
language

dressed
n
copies

Since 12 is invariant under a canonical


transformation the volume element is as well

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