Lie symmetries and conserved quantities of nonconservative nonholonomic systems in phase space

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 635-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liu Rongwan ◽  
Fu Jingli
Keyword(s):  
Phase Space ◽  
Nonholonomic Systems ◽  
Lie Symmetries ◽  
Conserved Quantities

Symplectic geometry of radiative modes and conserved quantities at null infinity

1981 ◽  
Vol 376 (1767) ◽  
pp. 585-607 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Gravitational Field ◽  
Phase Space ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Symplectic Geometry ◽  
Conserved Quantities ◽  
Null Infinity ◽  
Hamiltonian Description ◽  
Infinite Dimensional ◽  
Massless Spin

The Hamiltonian description of massless spin zero- and one-fields in Minkowski space is first recast in a way that refers only to null infinity and fields thereon representing radiative modes. With this framework as a guide, the phase space of the radiative degrees of freedom of the gravitational field (in exact general relativity) is introduced. It has the structure of an infinite-dimensional affine manifold (modelled on a Fréchet space) and is equipped with a continuous, weakly non-degenerate symplectic tensor field. The action of the Bondi-Metzner-Sachs group on null infinity is shown to induce canonical transformations on this phase space. The corresponding Hamiltonians – i. e. generating functions – are computed and interpreted as fluxes of supermomentum and angular momentum carried away by gravitational waves. The discussion serves three purposes: it brings out, via symplectic methods, the universality of the interplay between symmetries and conserved quantities; it sheds new light on the issue of angular momentum of gravitational radiation; and, it suggests a new approach to the quantization of the ‘true’ degrees of freedom of the gravitational field.

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