Theoretical Dynamics September 24, 2010

Homework 3
Instructor: Dr. Thomas Cohen Submitted by: Vivek Saxena
1 Goldstein 8.1
1.1 Part (a)
The Hamiltonian is given by
H(q
i
, p
i
, t) = p
i
q
i
L(q
i
, q
i
, t) (1)
where all the q
i
s on the RHS are to be expressed in terms of q
i
, p
i
and t. Now,
dH =
H
q
i
dq
i
+
H
p
i
dp
i
+
H
t
dt (2)
From (1),
dH = p
i
d q
i
+ q
i
dp
i
dL
= p
i
d q
i
+ q
i
dp
i

_
L
q
i
dq
i
+
L
q
i
d q
i
+
L
t
dt
_
=
L
q
i
dq
i
+ q
i
dp
i
+
_
p
i

L
q
i
_
d q
i

L
t
dt (3)
Comparing (2) and (3) we get
H
q
i
=
L
q
i
= p
i
(2nd equality from Hamiltons equation) (4)
q
i
=
H
q
i
(also Hamiltons equation) (5)
p
i

L
q
i
= 0 (H is not explicitly dependent on q
i
) (6)

L
t
=
H
t
(7)
From (4) and (6) we have
d
dt
_
L
q
i
_

L
q
i
= 0, i = 1, 2, . . . , n (8)
which are the Euler-Lagrange equations.
3 - 1
1.2 Part (b)
L

(p, p, t) = p
i
q
i
H(q, p, t) (9)
= p
i
q
i
H(q, p, t)
d
dt
(p
i
q
i
) (10)
= L(q, q, t)
d
dt
(p
i
q
i
) (11)
= L(q, q, t) p
i
q
i
p
i
q
i
(12)
So,
dL

=
L

p
i
dp
i
+
L

p
i
d p
i
+
L

t
dt (13)
= q
i
dp
i
q
i
d p
i
+
L
t
dt (from (9)) (14)
Comparing (12) and (13) we get
q
i
=
L

p
i
(15)
q
i
=
L

p
i
(16)
Thus the equations of motion are
d
dt
_
L

p
i
_

p
i
= 0, i = 1, 2, . . . , n (17)
2 Goldstein 8.6
Hamiltons principle is

_
Ldt = 0 (18)
or equivalently

_
2Ldt = 0 (19)
We can subtract the total time derivative of a function whose variation vanishes at the end
points of the path, from the integrand, without invalidating the variational principle. This
is because such a function will only contribute to boundary terms involving the variation
of q
i
and p
i
at the end points of the path, which vanish by assumption. Such a function is
p
i
q
i
. So, the modied Hamiltons principle is

_ _
2L
d
dt
(p
i
q
i
)
_
dt = 0 (20)
3 - 2
Using the Legendre transformation, this becomes

_
(2p
i
q
i
2H p
i
q
i
p
i
q
i
) dt = 0 (21)
=
_
(2H + p
i
q
i
p
i
q
i
) dt = 0 (22)
now,
p
i
q
i
p
i
q
i
=
_
q
1
. . . q
n
| p
1
. . . p
n

12n
_
0
nn
1
nn
1
nn
0
nn
_
2n2n
_

_
q
1
.
.
q
n

p
1
.
.
p
n
_

_
2n1
(23)
=
T
J (24)
So (22) becomes

_
_
2H +
T
J
_
dt = 0 (25)
which is the required form of Hamiltons principle.
3 Goldstein 8.9
The constraints can be incorporated into the Lagrangian L by dening a constrained
Lagrangian L
c
, as
L
c
(q, q, t) = L(q, q, t)

k
(q, p, t) (26)
Applying Hamiltons principle, and using the Legendre transformation for L, we get

_
_
p
i
q
i
H(q, p, t)

k
(q, p, t)
_
dt = 0 (27)
By analogy with the constrained Lagrangian, we can dene a constrained Hamiltonian
H
c
as
H
c
(q, p, t) = H(q, p, t) +

k
(q, p, t) (28)
Since both the terms are functions of q
i
, p
i
and t, this is a good Hamiltonian. Equation
(27) can then be written as

_
(p
i
q
i
H
c
(q, p, t)) dt = 0 (29)
3 - 3
This bears a resemblance to the usual variational principle in Hamiltonian mechanics, for
a Hamiltonian H
c
. So the Hamilton equations are
q
i
=
H
c
p
i
p
i
=
H
c
q
i
which become
q
i
=
H
p
i
+

k
p
i
(30)
p
i
=
H
q
i
+

k
q
i
(31)
Time as a canonical variable
If time t is treated as a canonical variable, we dene q
n+1
= t. By Hamiltons equations
p
n+1
=
H
q
n+1
(32)
=
H
t
(33)
=
dH
dt
(34)
and
q
n+1
=
H
p
n+1
(35)
= 1 (since q
n+1
= t) (36)
As the Hamiltonian contains terms of the form p
i
q
i
for each coordinate and its canonical
momentum, in order to incorporate the constraint imposed by the inclusion of time as
the (n + 1)
th
canonical variable, we include a term of the form p
n+1
q
n+1
= p
n+1
to the
Hamiltonian to set up the constraint. Equivalently, the constraint can be obtained by
integrating equation (34) above, and is given by
H(q
1
, . . . , q
n
, q
n+1
; p
1
, . . . , p
n
) + p
n+1
= 0 (37)
Hamiltons principle,

_
(p
i
q
i
H)dt = 0 (38)
can be written as

_
(p
i
q
i
H)t

d = 0 (39)
3 - 4
where t

= dt/d and is some parameter.

Using the constrained form of Hamiltons equations we get
q
i
= (1 + )
H
p
i
, i = 1, 2, . . . n (40)
p
i
= (1 + )
H
q
i
, i = 1, 2, . . . n (41)
q
n+1
= (42)
p
n+1
= (1 + )
H
t
=
L
t
(43)
By regarding H

= (1+)H as an equivalent Hamiltonian, these equations are the required

(2n + 2) equations of motion. Also, = q
n+1
= dt/d.
4 Goldstein 8.26
4.1 Part (a)
In the given conguration, both springs elongate or compress by the same magnitude.
Suppose q denotes the position of the mass m from the left end. At t = 0, q(0) = a/2,
but the unstretched lengths of both springs are given to be zero. Therefore, the elongation
(compression) of spring k
1
is q and the compression (elongation) of spring k
2
is q. The
potential energy is
V =
1
2
k
1
q
2
+
1
2
k
2
q
2
=
1
2
(k
1
+ k
2
)q
2
(44)
The kinetic energy is
T =
1
2
m q
2
(45)
The Lagrangian is
L = T V =
1
2
m q
2

1
2
(k
1
+ k
2
)q
2
(46)
The momentum canonically conjugate to the coordinate q is
p
q
=
L
q
= m q (47)
So the Hamiltonian is
H = p
q
q L =
1
2
m q
2
+
1
2
(k
1
+ k
2
)q
2
(48)
that is,
H(q, p
q
, t) =
p
2
q
2m
+
1
2
(k
1
+ k
2
)q
2
(49)
Clearly, the Hamiltonian equals the total energy E. The energy is conserved since,
dE
dt
= m q q + (k
1
+ k
2
)q q = q((k
1
+ k
2
)q) + (k
1
+ k
2
)q q = 0 (50)
where we have used the equation of motion
1
. In this case, the Hamiltonian is also conserved.
1 d
dt

L
q

L
q
= 0 = m q + (k1 + k2)q = 0
3 - 5
4.2 Part (b)
Substituting q = Q+b sin(t) and q = Q+b cos(t) into the expression for the Lagrangian,
we get
L(Q,

Q, t) =
1
2
m(

Q + b cos(t))
2

1
2
(k
1
+ k
2
)(Q + b sin(t))
2
(51)
and the momentum canonically conjugate to the coordinate Q is given by
p
Q
=
L

Q
= m(

Q + b cos(t)) (52)
So the Hamiltonian becomes
H(Q, p
Q
, t) = p
Q

QL(Q,

Q, t) (53)
= m(

Q + b cos(t))

Q
1
2
m(

Q + b cos(t))
2
+
1
2
(k
1
+ k
2
)(Q + b sin(t))
2
=
m

Q
2
2

mb
2

2
2
cos
2
(t) +
1
2
(k
1
+ k
2
)(Q + b sin(t))
2
=
p
2
Q
2m
p
Q
b cos(t) +
1
2
(k
1
+ k
2
)(Q + b sin(t))
2
(54)
The Hamiltonian is now explicitly dependent on time, and hence is not conserved, as is
conrmed by the fact that dH/dt = 0. The energy is given by
E = T + V =
1
2
(

Q + b cos(t))
2
+
1
2
(k
1
+ k
2
)(Q + b sin(t))
2
(55)
So,
dE
dt
= m(

Q + b cos(t))(

Qb
2
sin(t)) + (k
1
+ k
2
)(Q + b sin(t))(

Q + b cos(t))
= (

Q + b cos(t))(m(

QB
2
sin(t)) + (k
1
+ k
2
)(Q + b sin(t)))
= (

Q + b cos(t))(m q + (k
1
+ k
2
)q) (56)
= 0 (c.f. footnote on prev. page) (57)
Therefore, the energy is conserved, as expected (the energy is still given by T +V , but the
Hamiltonian is not T +V anymore, as the relationship connecting the generalized coordinate
to the cartesian coordinate is now explicitly dependent on time).
5 Goldstein 8.23
5.1 Part (a)
The Lagrangian for the system is
L =
1
2
m(v v) + eA(r) v eV (r) (58)
The canonical momentum is
p =
L
v
= mv + eA (59)
3 - 6
So the Hamiltonian is
H = p v L (60)
= (mv + eA) v
_
1
2
m(v v) + eA(r) v eV (r)
_
=
m
2
v v + eV (r)
=
(p eA) (p eA)
2m
+ eV (r) (61)
=
1
2m
(p
2
2ep A+ e
2
A
2
) + eV (r) (62)
Now,
p A = p
1
2
B r
=
1
2
B (r p) (63)
=
1
2
B J (64)
where J = r p denotes the angular momentum. Also,
A
2
=
1
4
(B r) (B r)
=
1
4
B
2
r
2
(as B is perpendicular to r) (65)
So the Hamiltonian of equation (58) becomes
H =
p
2
2m

e
2m
B J +
e
2
8m
B
2
r
2
+ eV (r) (66)
5.2 Part (b)
Let v
lab
= ( x, y) denote the velocity of the particle in the lab frame, and v

= ( x

, y

)
denote the velocity in the rotating frame. Without loss of generality, we may assume that
motion is conned to the xy-plane. We rst derive a relationship between the Hamiltonian
in a rotating frame with that in a non-rotating frame (in this case, the lab frame). The
coordinates are related by
x = x

cos(t) y

sin(t) (67)
y = x

sin(t) + y

cos(t) (68)
Here, it has been assumed that the rotation is counterclockwise, i.e. > 0 for counter-
clockwise rotation. So the velocity components are related by
x = x

cos(t) y

sin(t) (x

sin(t) + y

cos(t)) (69)
y = x

sin(t) + y

cos(t) (x

cos(t) y

sin(t)) (70)
3 - 7
Therefore
v
lab
2
= x
2
+ y
2
= x
2
+ y
2
+ 2(x y xy) +
2
r
2
(71)
The Lagrangian in the lab frame is
L =
1
2
mv
lab
2
eV (r) (72)
=
1
2
m( x
2
+ y
2
) + m(x

) +
1
2
m
2
r
2
eV (r) (73)
The momenta canonically conjugate to x and y in the rotating system are
p
x
=
L
x

= m( x

) (74)
p
y
=
L
y

= m( y

+ x

) (75)
So the Hamiltonian in the rotating frame is
H = p
x
x

+ p
y
y

L (76)
=
p
2
x

+ p
2
y

2m
+ (y

p
x
x

p
y
) + eV (r) (77)
=
p
2
x

+ p
2
y

2m
J

z
+ eV (r) (78)
where J

z
denotes the angular momentum in the z-direction (direction of ) as measured in
the rotating frame. This means that for counterclockwise rotation along the z-axis,
H
rotating frame
= H
lab frame
J
z
(79)
This is the general relationship between Hamiltonians in the lab frame and rotating frame.
For this problem, from equation (62) above, we have
H
lab frame
=
p
2
2m

eB
2m
J +
e
2
8m
B
2
r
2
+ eV (r) (80)
as B = B z and J = J
z
z = J z. So, the Hamiltonian in the rotating frame is
H
rotating frame
=
p
2
2m

_
+
eB
2m
_
J
z
+
e
2
8m
B
2
r
2
+ eV (r) (81)
It is interesting to note that if =
c
=
eB
2m
, then the term linear in the magnetic eld
vanishes. In this problem, it is given that
=
eB
m
(82)
which is twice the frequency
c
. So, in this case, the Hamiltonian becomes
H
rotating frame
=
p
2
2m
+
eB
2m
J
z
+
e
2
8m
B
2
r
2
+ eV (r) (83)
3 - 8
6 Problem 1
6.1 Part (a)
The subscript PB is suppressed for clarity.
[L
i
, L
j
]
PB
= [
i
x

,
j
x

]
=
i

j
[x

, x

]
=
i

j
(x

[p

, x

] + [x

, x

]p

) (as [A, BC]

PB
= B[A, C]
PB
+ [A, B]
PB
C)
=
i

j
(x

[p

, x

]p

+ x

[p

, p

] + [x

, x

]p

+ x

[x

, p

]p

)
=
i

j
(

)
=
i

j
(x

) +
i

j
x

=
i

j
x

j
x

= (
ij

j
)x

(
ij

j
)x

= (
ij
x

x
j
p
i
) (
ij
x

x
i
p
j
)
= x
i
p
j
x
j
p
i
Now, [L
1
, L
2
]
PB
= x
1
p
2
x
2
p
1
= L
3
, [L
1
, L
3
]
PB
= x
1
p
3
x
3
p
1
= L
2
, [L
3
, L
2
]
PB
=
x
3
p
2
x
2
p
3
=
321
L
1
, etc. So, x
i
p
j
x
j
p
i
=
ijk
L
k
.
Hence, [L
i
, L
j
]
PB
=
ijk
L
k
.
6.2 Part (b)
For each i = 1, 2, 3,
[L
i
, L
2
]
PB
= [L
i
, L
j
L
j
] (sum over j)
= L
j
[L
i
, L
j
] + [L
i
, L
j
]L
j
= L
j
(
ijk
L
k
) + (
ijk
L
k
)L
j
= 2
ijk
L
j
L
k
= 0 (as
ijk
is antisymmetric under j k, while L
j
L
k
is symmetric.)
So,
[L, L
2
]
PB
= e
i
[L
i
, L
2
]
PB
= 0 (84)
6.3 Part (c)
For each i = 1, 2, 3,
[L
i
, f(r)]
PB
=
L
i
x

f(r)
p

L
i
p

f(r)
x

(85)
Now, r =

x
i
x
i
and L
i
=
ijk
x
j
p
k
, so
f
x

=
r
x

f
r
=
x

r
f
r
(86)
f
p

= 0 (87)
3 - 9
So,
[L
i
, f(r)]
PB
=
L
i
p

f(r)
x

=
x

r
(
ijk
x
j
p
k
)
p

f(r)
r
=

ijk
x

x
j

,k
r
f
r
=

ijk
x
j
x
k
r
f
r
=
(r r)
i
r
f
r
= 0 (88)
7 Problem 2
7.1 Part (a)
[
i
,
j
] =

i

(89)
So,
d
d
[
i
,
j
] =
d
d
_

_
=
d
d
_

_
J

+

i

d
d
_

_
=

_
d
i
d
_
J

+

i

_
d
j
d
_
=

([
i
, g]) J

+

i

([
j
, g])
=

_
J

+

i

_
=
_

2

+

i

2
g

_
J

+

i

_

2

+

j

2
g

_
(90)
Now, for = 0, = , so the second order terms

=0
,

2

=0
3 - 10
equal zero. So,
d
d
[
i
,
j
]

=0
=

i

2
g

+

i

2
g

(91)
=

i

2
g

+

i

2
g

(92)
which is obtained by switching , in the rst term and , in the
second term. As J is antisymmetric, J

= J

. So,
d
d
[
i
,
j
]

=0
=

i

2
g

2
g

(93)
= 0 (94)
So upto O(
2
), we have d[
i
,
j
]/d = 0 and so [
i
,
j
] is constant up to O(
2
). As [
i
,
j
]|
=0
=
[
i
,
j
] = J
ij
, we have [
i
,
j
] = J
ij
upto O(
2
).
So, is a canonical transformation upto O(
2
).
7.2 Part (b)
First of all,
(, 0) = (95)
because at t = 0, the canonical coordinates overlap in phase space. So, using the result
of part (a), (, t) can be treated as a one-parameter family of canonical transformations
(parametrized by t), provided there exists some function g satisfying
d
i
dt
= [
i
, g]
PB
(96)
This condition is seen to be satised if g is taken as the Hamiltonian H, for in this case,
[
i
, H]
PB
=

i

k
J
kj
H

j
(97)
=
ik
J
kj
H

j
(98)
= J
ij
H

j
(99)
=

i
(100)
where the last equality is obtained via Hamiltons equations. So, taking g = H satises the
Poisson bracket relation with H acting as the generator of time translations.
3 - 11