Given a conservative dynamical system of classical physics, how does one find a variational principle for it? Is there a canonical recipe for such a principle? The case of particle mechanics was settled by Lagrange in 1788; this text treats continuous systems. Recipes devised are algebraic in nature, and this book develops the mathematical tools found necessary after the minute examination of the adiabatic fluid dynamics in the introduction. These tools include: Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms, Legendre transforms, dual spaces of Lie algebras and associated 2-cocyles; and linearized and Z2-graded versions of all of these. The following typical physical systems, together with their Hamiltonian structures, are discussed: classical magnetohydrodynamics with its Hall deformation; multifluid plasma; superfluid He-4 (both irrotational and rotating) and 3He-A; quantum fluids; Yang-Mills MHD; spinning fluids; spin glass; extended YM plasma; a lattice gas. Detailed motivations, open problems, and over 300 exercises help the reader.
By:
Boris A Kuperschmidt (Univ Of Tennessee Space Inst Usa)
Imprint: World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd
Country of Publication: Singapore
Volume: 13
Dimensions:
Height: 220mm,
ISBN: 9789810236854
ISBN 10: 9810236859
Series: Advanced Series In Mathematical Physics
Pages: 444
Publication Date: 01 December 1992
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
A / AS level
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction - a dissection of compressible fluid dynamics. Part 1 The basic mathematical tools: calculus of variations; Hamiltonian formalism; Hamiltonian maps; Lie Algebras, generalized two-cocycles, affine Hamiltonian operators; semidirect sum Lie algebras, generalized symplectic two-cocyles, Hamiltonian maps between semidirect sums. Part 2 Abelian systems (systems without non-Abelian internal degrees of freedom): the prototypical dynamical systems and their Hamiltonian properties; Clebsch representations (Abelian case); variational principles (Abelian case); free rigid body; relativistic compressible fluid dynamics; linearization; supervariational principles (Abelian case); nonabelian systems; variational principles of the first kind; typical physical systems; variational principles of the second kind; exceptional systems.
Reviews for Variational Principles Of Dynamics, The
"""This book yields a self-contained, rigorous but also very clearly written account of the subject ... the book also contains a 'wealth' of apparently carefully selected and often very amusing citations from various sources."" Mathematical Reviews"
