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Bahram Houchmandzadeh
The Hamilton-Jacobi equation (HJE) is one of the most elegant approach to Lagrangian systems
such as geometrical optics and classical mechanics, establishing the duality between trajectories and
waves and paving the way naturally for the quantum mechanics. Usually, this formalism is taught at
the end of a course on analytical mechanics through its technical aspects and its relation to canonical
transformations. I propose that the teaching of this subject be centered on this duality along the
lines proposed here, and the canonical transformations be taught only after some familiarity with
the HJE has been gained by the students.
Figure 1. Wave fronts C (in red) of light emitted at point r0 at Figure 3. The trajectory chosen by an object (solid line) op-
time t0 . Blue lines are the rays path. The Huygens principle timizes the action compared to all other possible trajectories
states that the wave front at time t can be seen as the wave (dashed lines) (1)
front of light emitted at time t − tα by the wave front at this
time (red dashed lines).
jects linked together through an orthogonality.
Even if the medium is not isotropic, we can still com-
pute the wave front from the rays, and vice versa. All we
need is a relation between the tangent to the ray path
(let’s call it q̇) at a point and the normal to the wave
front (call it p) at the same point. We will come to this
subject in more general detail in the next sections.
Figure 2. In geometrical optics in isotropic media, trajectories Very soon after the publication of Principia by Newton
Pt of the light rays and wave fronts are orthogonal. Therefore, (1684), Bernoulli challenged (1696) the scientific commu-
trajectories can be recovered from the wave front: from the nity to find the fastest path that, under gravity, brings a
point Pt on the wave front Ct , draw the orthogonal to the mass from point A to point B. The analogy with optics
wave front and recover the point Pt+dt at which it intercepts
and the Fermat’s principle was not lost on the mathe-
the wave front Ct+dt . Proceeds by recurrence.
maticians who responded to the challenge[11]. This anal-
ogy was then fully developed in subsequent years [12] and
took its definitive form under the name of Euler-Lagrange
called the Huygens principle. Finally, note that if r0 ≫ r,
equation.
kr − r0 k ≈ r0 − (r0 /r0 ).r and we can approximate the
The foundation of analytical mechanics is based on a
spherical wave by a plane one of the form S(r, t) = u.r −
variational principles: Given a Lagrangian L(q̇, q, t), an
(c/n)t where u = −(r0 /r0 ) is the direction of the plane
object (be it a particle or a ray of light) chooses the
wave propagation.
trajectory q(t) that makes the action
If the medium is not homogeneous (n = n(r) ), the
wave fronts are not spherical any more. The principle of ˆ t1 ,q1
Fermat states that the path taken by a ray to go from S= L(q̇, q, t)dt (1)
t0 ,q0
a point A to a point B is the one that minimizes the
traveling time : stationary (figure 3). The action depends on the end
B
points (t0 , q0 ) and (t1 , q1 ) and the trajectory q(t) must
1
ˆ
T = nds obey the Euler-Lagrange equation
c A
d ∂L ∂L
− =0 (2)
where ds is the element of arc length along a path. In dt ∂ q̇ ∂q
order to compute a wave front now, one has to compute
For a classical particle, the Lagrangian is the difference
the ray paths and collect points along the path that have
between the kinetic and the potential energy L = T −
been reached at a given time t. If the medium is isotropic
V , while for geometrical optics, the Lagrangian is the
(i.e. not like a crystal with particular directions of prop-
traveling time.
agation), it can be shown that ray paths and wave fronts
We can reformulate equation (2) by making a Legendre
are orthogonal (see below). In this case, deducing the
transform. Defining the momentum
wave fronts from the ray paths is simple. On the other
hand, if we knew the wave fronts, we could compute the ∂L
ray paths (figure 2). Paths and wave fronts are dual ob- p= (3)
∂ q̇
3
t1
d ∂L
ˆ
= δq dt
t0 dt ∂ q̇
t1
∂L ∂L
= δq = dq
∂ q̇ t0 ∂ q̇ t1
∂S ∂S
=p ; = −H (10)
∂q ∂t
where ∂S/∂q = (∂q1 S, ∂q2 S, ...). Note that this a gener-
alization of the free particle case where (according to 9),
dS = pdq − Edt. Now, we know that H = H(q, p, t),
therefore combining the above two expressions, we have
W(q)/ℓ√ 2mℓ
2
-2
2
-4
0
-4 -2 0 2 4
q/ℓ
Figure 7. Contour plot of W (q1 , q2 ) of free particle in 2 di-
mensions (relation 16) for u1 = cos θ = 1/2. Figure 8. The Hamilton principal function W (q) for the uni-
dimensional harmonic oscillator.
from the wave equation ( see[15] for a review). Con- scale of variation in the index is large
compared
to the
sider the equation of an electromagnetic wave propagat- wave length, or equivalently, when ∇2 A/A ≪ k02 . Ne-
ing through space, where the index of refraction is not glecting the ∇2 A term is relation (25), we obtain an equa-
supposed to be constant : tion for the phase φ alone:
ψ(t) = A(r) exp (ik0 (φ(r) − ct)) (24) The Hamilton-Jacobi equation is one of the most ele-
gant and beautiful approach to mechanics with far reach-
in analogy with plane waves when n = const. k0 = 2π/λ0 ing consequences in many adjacent fields such as quan-
is the wave number and λ0 is the wave length in vacuum tum mechanics and probability theory. Unfortunately,
; A (the amplitude ) and φ (the phase) are real functions. its beauty is lost to many students learning the basics
Note that the total phase of analytical mechanics. An informal and statistically
non-significant inquiry of practicing physicists suggests
Φ(r) = φ(r) − ct that even among scientists, Hamilton-Jacobi brings up
mostly (if any) memories of arcane transformations with
has the same structure as the function S in relation (13) no observable use.
and φ() plays the same role as the function W (). The materials developed in this short article, which
Plugging expression (24) into (23), separating the real does not contain the usual mathematical complexity
and the imaginary part, we have: found in most textbooks, can be covered in one or two
2
lectures and I hope help students to get a basic under-
∇2 A − Ak02 (∇φ) = −k02 n2 A (25) standing of the Hamilton-Jacobi approach to variational
2 (∇φ) (∇A) + A∇2 φ = 0 (26) systems.
Acknowledgment. I’m grateful to Marcel Vallade for
The geometrical optics is obtained from the wave equa- detailed reading of the manuscript and fruitful discus-
tion by letting λ0 → 0, i.e. when we assume that the sions.