arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Mark J. Gotay.
We introduce the notion of a "Souriau bracket" on a prequantum circle bundle $Y$ over a phase space $X$ and explain how a deformation of $Y$ in the direction of this bracket provides a genuine quantization of $X$.
We show how to enlarge the covariance group of any classical field theory in such a way that the resulting "covariantized" theory is 'essentially equivalent' to the original. In particular, our technique will render any classical field theory generally covariant, that is, the covariantized theory will be spacetime diffeomorphism-covariant and free of absolute objects. Our results thus generalize the well-known parametrization technique of Dirac and Kuchař. Our constructions apply equally well to internal covariance groups, in which context they produce natural derivations of both the Utiyama minimal coupling and Stückelberg tricks.
We give an exposition of the parametrization method of Kuchar [1973] in the context of the multisymplectic approach to field theory, as presented in Gotay and Marsden [2008a]. The purpose of the formalism developed herein is to make any classical field theory, containing a metric as a sole background field, generally covariant (that is, "parametrized," with the spacetime diffeomorphism group as a symmetry group) as well as fully dynamic. This is accomplished by introducing certain "covariance fields" as genuine dynamic fields. As we shall see, the multimomenta conjugate to these new fields form the Piola-Kirchhoff version of the stress-energy-momentum tensor field, and their Euler-Lagrange equations are vacuously satisfied. Thus, these fields have no additional physical content; they serve only to provide an efficient means of parametrizing the theory. Our results are illustrated with two examples, namely an electromagnetic field and a Klein-Gordon vector field, both on a background spacetime.
We show how to "concatenate" variational principles over different bases into one over a single base, thereby providing a unified Lagrangian treatment of interacting systems. As an example we study a Klein-Gordon field interacting with a mesically charged particle. We employ our method to give a novel group-theoretic derivation of the kinetic stress-energy-momentum tensor density corresponding to the particle.
With the covariant formulation in hand from the first paper of this series (physics/9801019), we begin in this second paper to study the canonical (or ``instantaneous'') formulation of classical field theories. The canonical formluation works with fields defined as time-evolving cross sections of bundles over a Cauchy surface, rather than as sections of bundles over spacetime as in the covariant formulation. In Chapter 5 we begin to relate these approaches to classical field theory; in particular, we show how covariant multisymplectic geometry induces the instantaneous symplectic geometry of cotangent bundles of sections of fields over a Cauchy surface. In Chapter 6, we proceed to consider field dynamics. A crucial feature of our discussion here is the degeneracy of the Lagrangian functionals for the field theories of interest. As a consequence of this degeneracy, we have constraints on the choice of initial data, and gauge freedom in the evolution of the fields. Chapter 6 considers the role of initial value constraints and gauge transformations in Hamiltonian field dynamics. In Chapter 7, we then describe how covariant momentum maps defined on the multiphase space induce "energy-momentum maps'' on the instantaneous phase spaces. We show that for a group action which leaves the Cauchy surface invariant, this energy-momentum map coincides with the usual notion of a momentum map. We also show, when the gauge group"includes'' the spacetime diffeomorphism group, that one of the components of the energy-momentum map corresponding to spacetime diffeomorphisms can be identified (up to sign) with the Hamiltonian for the theory.
This is the first paper of a five part work in which we study the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian structure of classical field theories with constraints. Our goal is to explore some of the connections between initial value constraints and gauge transformations in such theories (either relativistic or not). To do this, in the course of these four papers, we develop and use a number of tools from symplectic and multisymplectic geometry. Of central importance in our analysis is the notion of the ``energy-momentum map'' associated to the gauge group of a given classical field theory. We hope to demonstrate that many different and apparently unrelated facets of field theories can be thereby tied together and understood in an essentially new way. In Part I we develop some of the basic theory of classical fields from a spacetime covariant viewpoint. We begin with a study of the covariant Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms, on jet bundles and multisymplectic manifolds, respectively. Then we discuss symmetries, conservation laws, and Noether's theorem in terms of ``covariant momentum maps.''
We prove that there is no consistent polynomial quantization of the coordinate ring of a basic non-nilpotent coadjoint orbit of a semisimple Lie group.
We show that there is a consistent polynomial quantization of the coordinate ring of a basic nilpotent coadjoint orbit of a semisimple Lie group. We also show, at least in the case of a nilpotent orbit in sl(2,R)*, that any such quantization is essentially trivial. Furthermore, we prove that the coordinate ring of a basic semisimple orbit in sl(2,R)* cannot be consistently polynomially quantized.
We study the algebraic structure of the Poisson algebra P(O) of polynomials on a coadjoint orbit O of a semisimple Lie algebra. We prove that P(O) splits into a direct sum of its center and its derived ideal. We also show that P(O) is simple as a Poisson algebra iff O is semisimple.
We prove that there are no nontrivial finite-dimensional Lie representations of certain Poisson algebras of polynomials on a compact symplectic manifold. This result is used to establish the existence of a universal obstruction to quantizing a compact symplectic manifold, regardless of the dimensionality of the representation.
We prove an algebraic ``no-go theorem'' to the effect that a nontrivial Poisson algebra cannot be realized as an associative algebra with the commutator bracket. Using this, we show that there is an obstruction to quantizing the Poisson algebra of polynomials generated by a nilpotent basic algebra on a symplectic manifold. Finally, we explicitly construct a polynomial quantization of a symplectic manifold with a solvable basic algebra, thereby showing that the obstruction in the nilpotent case does not extend to the solvable case.
We discuss the Groenewold-Van Hove problem for R^{2n}, and completely solve it when n = 1. We rigorously show that there exists an obstruction to quantizing the Poisson algebra of polynomials on R^{2n}, thereby filling a gap in Groenewold's original proof without introducing extra hypotheses. Moreover, when n = 1 we determine the largest Lie subalgebras of polynomials which can be unambiguously quantized, and explicitly construct all their possible quantizations.
We prove that there is no faithful finite-dimensional representation by skew-hermitian matrices of a ``basic algebra of observables'' B on a noncompact symplectic manifold M. Consequently there exists no finite-dimensional quantization of any Lie subalgebra of the Poisson algebra C^\infty(M) containing B.
We discuss to what extent classical singularities persist upon quantization in two simple cosmological models.
In this paper we continue our study of Groenewold-Van Hove obstructions to quantization. We show that there exists such an obstruction to quantizing the cylinder $T^*S^1.$ More precisely, we prove that there is no quantization of the Poisson algebra of $T^*S^1$ which is irreducible on a naturally defined $e(2) \times R$ subalgebra. Furthermore, we determine the maximal ``polynomial'' subalgebras that can be consistently quantized, and completely characterize the quantizations thereof. This example provides support for one of the conjectures in Gotay et al 1996, but disproves part of another. Passing to coverings, we also derive a no-go result for $R^2$ which is comparatively stronger than those originally found by Groenewold and Van Hove.
We define the quantization structures for Poisson algebras necessary to generalise Groenewold and Van Hove's result that there is no consistent quantization for the Poisson algebra of Euclidean phase space. Recently a similar obstruction was obtained for the sphere, though surprising enough there is no obstruction to the quantization of the torus. In this paper we want to analyze the circumstances under which such obstructions appear. In this context we review the known results for the Poisson algebras of Euclidean space, the sphere and the torus.
I exhibit a prequantization of the torus which is actually a ``full'' quantization in the sense that a certain complete set of classical observables is irreducibly represented. Thus in this instance there is no Groenewold-Van Hove obstruction to quantization.
We prove that there does not exist a nontrivial quantization of the Poisson algebra of the symplectic manifold S^2 which is irreducible on the subalgebra generated by the components {S_1,S_2,S_3} of the spin vector. We also show that there does not exist such a quantization of the Poisson subalgebra P consisting of polynomials in {S_1,S_2,S_3}. Furthermore, we show that the maximal Poisson subalgebra of P containing {1,S_1,S_2,S_3} that can be so quantized is just that generated by {1,S_1,S_2,S_3}.