Studies in Hamiltonian analysis and supersymmetry

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6760129

Di Stefano, R G

A slight modification of Dirac's method of Hamiltonian analysis for constrained systems is introduced. Using this modified method, cases which have been considered to be counterexamples to Dirac's conjecture that the first class secondary constraints are always symmetry generators are re-examined and found to be in agreement with it instead. The relationship between the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian descriptions is studied in some detail and is used to motivate our calling the form of the secondary constraints derived via this modified method the natural form of the secondary constraints. Symmetries of the Lagrangian (or Hamiltonian) and symmetries of the Euler-language (or Hamilton's) equations, and form and content invariance are distinguished. An alternative approach to the first order canonical formulation of gravitation is developed. The vierbein e/sup ..mu..a/ and the spin connection omega/sub ..mu..ab/ are treated as independent but coequal field variables. There is no partial integration of the action prior to proceeding with the canonical formulation in order to rearrange the noncyclic canonical variables. The spin connection remains noncyclic, and this seems to reduce the level of calculational complexity usually encountered in the canonical formulation of gravitation theory. As a result the approach is well-suited for application to extended theories, such as R + R/sup 2/ theories and extended theories of supergravity. The method is applied to the Einstein-Cartan-Sciama-Kibble theory of gravity. A generator of supergauge variations, S/sub ..cap alpha../, which acts only on the dynamical fields (and their conjugate momenta) of the Wess-Zumino scalar multiplet is given. Explicit calculation shows that )S/sub ..cap alpha../, S/sub ..beta../) = -2i..gamma mu gamma../sup 0/P/sub ..mu../.

• Research Organization: State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6760129
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645400* -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
FIELD THEORIES
FUNCTIONS
GAUGE INVARIANCE
HAMILTONIANS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LAGRANGIAN FUNCTION
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUANTUM OPERATORS
SPIN
SUPERGRAVITY
SUPERSYMMETRY
SYMMETRY
UNIFIED-FIELD THEORIES