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In physics, Hamiltonian mechanics is a reformulation of Lagrangian mechanics that emerged in 1833. Introduced by Sir William Rowan Hamilton , [ 1 ] Hamiltonian mechanics replaces (generalized) velocities q ˙ i {\displaystyle {\dot {q}}^{i}} used in Lagrangian mechanics with (generalized) momenta .
The Hamiltonian of a system represents the total energy of the system; that is, the sum of the kinetic and potential energies of all particles associated with the system. . The Hamiltonian takes different forms and can be simplified in some cases by taking into account the concrete characteristics of the system under analysis, such as single or several particles in the system, interaction ...
In physics, action is a scalar quantity that describes how the balance of kinetic versus potential energy of a physical system changes with trajectory. Action is significant because it is an input to the principle of stationary action, an approach to classical mechanics that is simpler for multiple objects. [1]
The kinetic energy combines the energy of motion for all the objects in the system; the potential energy depends upon the instantaneous position of the objects and drives the motion of the objects. The motion of the objects places them in new positions with new potential energy values, giving a new value for the Lagrangian. [4]: 125
Hamiltonian chaos is prevalent in many areas of physics, particularly in classical mechanics and statistical mechanics. For instance, in plasma physics , the behavior of charged particles in a magnetic field can exhibit Hamiltonian chaos, which has implications for nuclear fusion and astrophysical plasmas .
The measurable values of the energy of a quantum system are given by the eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian operator, while its eigenstates give the possible energy states of the system. A value of energy is said to be degenerate if there exist at least two linearly independent energy states associated with it.
Second, these discrete energy levels are equally spaced, unlike in the Bohr model of the atom, or the particle in a box. Third, the lowest achievable energy (the energy of the n = 0 state, called the ground state) is not equal to the minimum of the potential well, but ħω/2 above it; this is called zero-point energy.
Such constants of motion will commute with the Hamiltonian under the Poisson bracket. Suppose some function f ( p , q ) {\displaystyle f(p,q)} is a constant of motion. This implies that if p ( t ) , q ( t ) {\displaystyle p(t),q(t)} is a trajectory or solution to Hamilton's equations of motion , then 0 = d f d t {\displaystyle 0={\frac {df}{dt ...