Determination of the Hamiltonian in the Presence of Constraints

Robert Cawley
Phys. Rev. Lett. 42, 413 – Published 12 February 1979
PDFExport Citation

Abstract

The ambiguity in the Hamiltonian for systems with constraints is discussed, and a counter example is provided to a conjecture of Dirac, which has led previously to the identification of the system Hamiltonian as the extended Hamiltonian, HE. The conjecture fails and HE also generates the wrong canonical equations; Dirac's test for identifying the Hamiltonian, however, leads to correct results for the example.

  • Received 2 November 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.42.413

©1979 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Robert Cawley

  • Naval Surface Weapons Center, White Oak, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 42, Iss. 7 — 12 February 1979

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×