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HeavyWater
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I am failing to understand Dirac's constraint dynamics. Can anyone suggest a useful resource?
Thanks
Thanks
Presumably you are already learning it from somewhere? If so, where? (It's a bit hard to help if you don't say where/what you're failing to understand...)HeavyWater said:I am failing to understand Dirac's constraint dynamics. Can anyone suggest a useful resource?
Huh? They look the same to me. "Lectures on QM" by Paul A. M. Dirac.Heinera said:@strangerep: I think you linked to the wrong book (same title but by a different author). I guess this is the one you meant: http://store.doverpublications.com/0486417131.html
Yes, now it does when I check it from a different browser.strangerep said:Huh? They look the same to me. "Lectures on QM" by Paul A. M. Dirac.
Heh, it's not "too long" at all. I also find it interesting, and I agree it's "neglected". The details involved in quantizing non-trivial classical systems can be quite subtle.Elemental said:[...]
I apologize if this is too long, but it is interesting and neglected
Heinera said:Edit: It seems that Physicsforums is using VigLink:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VigLink
This is a script that will sometimes redirect links to another vendor, in my case from Amazon to a seller called alibris.com (and also a different product).
Dirac's constraint dynamics is a mathematical framework developed by physicist Paul Dirac to describe the evolution of physical systems that are subject to constraints. These constraints arise from symmetries, conservation laws, and other physical properties of the system.
Dirac's constraint dynamics differs from traditional Hamiltonian dynamics in that it allows for systems with more degrees of freedom and constraints, while still preserving the fundamental equations of motion. Traditional Hamiltonian dynamics only applies to systems with a finite number of degrees of freedom and no constraints.
Dirac's constraint algorithm is a step-by-step procedure for determining the physical equations of motion for a constrained system. It allows for the identification of primary and secondary constraints, and the inclusion of these constraints in the Hamiltonian formulation of the system.
Dirac's constraint dynamics has applications in various areas of physics, including classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and field theory. It has also been used in the study of black holes, gauge theories, and the quantization of gravity.
One limitation of Dirac's constraint dynamics is that it relies on a Lagrangian formulation, which may not always be available for a given physical system. Additionally, the algorithm can become complicated and difficult to implement for systems with a large number of constraints. Finally, there are still open questions about the full extent of its applicability and its relationship to other mathematical frameworks.