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Nambu dynamics is a generalized Hamiltonian dynamics of more than two variables, whose time evolutions are given by the Nambu bracket, a generalization of the canonical Poisson bracket. Nambu dynamics can always be represented in the form of noncanonical Hamiltonian dynamics by defining the noncanonical Poisson bracket by means of the Nambu bracket. For the time evolution to be consistent, the Nambu bracket must satisfy the fundamental identity, while the noncanonical Poisson bracket must satisfy the Jacobi identity. However, in many degrees of freedom systems, it is well known that the fundamental identity does not hold. In the present paper we show that, even if the fundamental identity is violated, the Jacobi identity for the corresponding noncanonical Hamiltonian dynamics could hold. As an example, we evaluate these identities for a semiclassical system of two coupled oscillators., 7 pages, final version

Classical Hamiltonian mechanics is realized by the action of a Poisson bracket on a Hamiltonian function. The Hamiltonian function is a constant of motion (the energy) of the system. The properties of the Poisson bracket are encapsulated in the symplectic 2-form, a closed second order differential form. Due to closure, the symplectic 2-form is preserved by the Hamiltonian flow, and it assigns an invariant (Liouville) measure on the phase space through the Lie-Darboux theorem. In this paper we propose a generalization of classical Hamiltonian mechanics to a three-dimensional phase space: the classical Poisson bracket is replaced with a generalized Poisson bracket acting on a pair of Hamiltonian functions, while the symplectic 2-form is replaced by a symplectic 3-form. We show that, using the closure of the symplectic 3-form, a result analogous to the classical Lie-Darboux theorem holds: locally, there exist smooth coordinates such that the components of the symplectic 3-form are constants, and the phase space is endowed with a preserved volume element. Furthermore, as in the classical theory, the Jacobi identity for the generalized Poisson bracket mathematically expresses the closure of the associated symplectic form. As a consequence, constant skew-symmetric third order contravariant tensors always define generalized Poisson brackets. This is in contrast with generalizations of Hamiltonian mechanics postulating the fundamental identity as replacement for the Jacobi identity. In particular, we find that the fundamental identity represents a stronger requirement than the closure of the symplectic 3-form., 16 pages

We compare three different ways of checking the Jacobi identity for weakly nonlocal Poisson brackets using the theory of distributions, of pseudodifferential operators and of Poisson vertex algebras, respectively. We show that the three approaches lead to similar computations and same results., 47 pages

We show that the replicator dynamics for zero-sum games arises as a result of a non-canonical bracket that is a hybrid between a Poisson Bracket and a Nambu Bracket. The resulting non-canonical bracket is parameterized both the by the skew-symmetric payoff matrix and a mediating function. The mediating function is only sometimes a conserved quantity, but plays a critical role in the determination of the dynamics. As a by-product, we show that for the replicator dynamics this function arises in the definition of a natural metric on which phase flow-volume is preserved. Additionally, we show that the non-canonical bracket satisfies all the same identities as the Poisson bracket except for the Jacobi identity (JI), which is satisfied for special cases of the mediating function. In particular, the mediating function that gives rise to the replicator dynamics yields a bracket that satisfies JI. This neatly explains why the mediating function allows us to derive a metric on which phase flow is conserved and suggests a natural geometry for zero-sum games that extends the Symplectic geometry of the Poisson bracket and potentially an alternate approach to quantizing evolutionary games., 13 pages, 2 figures

Continuum mechanics can be formulated in the Lagrangian frame (addressing motion of individual continuum particles) or in the Eulerian frame (addressing evolution of fields in an inertial frame). There is a canonical Hamiltonian structure in the Lagrangian frame. By transformation to the Eulerian frame we find the Poisson bracket for Eulerian continuum mechanics with deformation gradient (or the related distortion matrix). Both Lagrangian and Eulerian Hamiltonian structures are then discussed from the perspective of space-time variational formulation and by means of semidirect products and Lie algebras. Finally, we discuss the importance of the Jacobi identity in continuum mechanics and approaches to prove hyperbolicity of the evolution equations and their gauge invariance., Comment: Submitted to Physica D

Author(s): Lainz, M; Sardon, C; Weinstein, A | Abstract: For a particle in the magnetic field of a cloud of monopoles, the naturally associated 2-form on phase space is not closed, and so the corresponding bracket operation on functions does not satisfy the Jacobi identity. Thus, it is not a Poisson bracket; however, it is twisted Poisson in the sense that the Jacobiator comes from a closed 3-form. The space D of densities on phase space is the state space of a plasma. The twisted Poisson bracket on phase-space functions gives rise to a bracket on functions on D. In the absence of monopoles, this is again a Poisson bracket. It has recently been shown by Heninger and Morrison that this bracket is not Poisson when monopoles are present. In this note, we give an example where it is not even twisted Poisson.

Classical mechanical systems are defined by their kinetic and potential energies. They generate a Lie algebra under the canonical Poisson bracket. This Lie algebra, which is usually infinite dimensional, is useful in analyzing the system, as well as in geometric numerical integration. But because the kinetic energy is quadratic in the momenta, the Lie algebra obeys identities beyond those implied by skew symmetry and the Jacobi identity. Some Poisson brackets, or combinations of brackets, are zero for all choices of kinetic and potential energy, regardless of the dimension of the system. Therefore, we study the universal object in this setting, the `Lie algebra of classical mechanics' modelled on the Lie algebra generated by kinetic and potential energy of a simple mechanical system with respect to the canonical Poisson bracket. We show that it is the direct sum of an abelian algebra $\mathcal X$, spanned by `modified' potential energies isomorphic to the free commutative nonassociative algebra with one generator, and an algebra freely generated by the kinetic energy and its Poisson bracket with $\mathcal X$. We calculate the dimensions $c_n$ of its homogeneous subspaces and determine the value of its entropy $\lim_{n\to\infty} c_n^{1/n}$. It is $1.8249\dots$, a fundamental constant associated to classical mechanics. We conjecture that the class of systems with Euclidean kinetic energy metrics is already free, i.e., the only linear identities satisfied by the Lie brackets of all such systems are those satisfied by the Lie algebra of classical mechanics., Comment: 17 pages, submitted to Journal of Computational Dynamics

A unifying non-canonical Poisson bracket has been shown to describe magnetohydrodynamic models of classical and quantum–mechanical fluids with intrinsic magnetization (or spin), and the Jacobi identity for this bracket is also proven. Their corresponding Hamiltonians are presented, and some interesting features, such as the potential absence of angular momentum conservation, are pointed out. To maintain consistency with the first and second laws of thermodynamics, a metriplectic approach to these models is highlighted which involves entropy production via a hitherto unstudied term involving the magnetization. A few promising avenues and outstanding issues for future work in this area are also discussed.

Several quantum gravity and string theory thought experiments indicate that the Heisenberg uncertainty relations get modified at the Planck scale so that a minimal length do arises. This modification may imply a modification of the canonical commutation relations and hence quantum mechanics at the Planck scale. The corresponding modification of classical mechanics is usually considered by replacing modified quantum commutators by Poisson brackets suitably modified in such a way that they retain their main properties (antisymmetry, linearity, Leibniz rule and Jacobi identity). We indicate that there exists an alternative interesting possibility. Koopman-Von Neumann's Hilbert space formulation of classical mechanics allows, as Sudarshan remarked, to consider the classical mechanics as a hidden variable quantum system. Then the Planck scale modification of this quantum system naturally induces the corresponding modification of dynamics in the classical substrate. Interestingly, it seems this induced modification in fact destroys the classicality: classical position and momentum operators cease to be commuting and hidden variables do appear in their evolution equations., Comment: 39 pages, ws-ijmpd, version to be published in Int. J. Mod. Phys. D

In this paper, a bracket structure is proposed for the laser-plasma interaction model introduced in [19], and it is proved by direct calculations that the bracket is Poisson which satisfies the Jacobi identity. Then splitting methods in time are proposed based on the Poisson structure. For the quasi-relativistic case, the Hamiltonian splitting leads to three subsystems which can be solved exactly. The conservative splitting is proposed for the fully relativistic case, and three one-dimensional conservative subsystems are obtained. Combined with the splittings in time, in phase space discretization we use the Fourier spectral and finite volume methods. It is proved that the discrete charge and discrete Poisson equation are conserved by our numerical schemes. Numerically, some numerical experiments are conducted to verify good conservations for the charge, energy and Poisson equation.

Classical electromagnetism with magnetic monopoles is not a Hamiltonian field theory because the Jacobi identity for the Poisson bracket fails. The Jacobi identity is recovered only if all of the species have the same ratio of electric to magnetic charge or if an electron and a monopole can never collide. Without the Jacobi identity, there are no local canonical coordinates or Lagrangian action principle. To build a quantum field of magnetic monopoles, we either must explain why the positions of electrons and monopoles can never coincide or we must resort to new quantization techniques.

We construct a symplectic realization and a bi-hamiltonian formulation of a 3-dimensional system whose solution are the Jacobi elliptic functions. We generalize this system and the related Poisson brackets to higher dimensions. These more general systems are parametrized by lines in projective space. For these rank 2 Poisson brackets the Jacobi identity is satisfied only when the Pl\" ucker relations hold. Two of these Poisson brackets are compatible if and only if the corresponding lines in projective space intersect. We present several examples of such systems., Comment: 19 pages

The guiding center plasma model (also known as kinetic MHD) is a rigorous sub-cyclotron-frequency closure of the Vlasov-Maxwell system. While the model has been known for decades, and it plays a fundamental role in describing the physics of strongly-magnetized collisionless plasmas, its Hamiltonian structure has never been found. We provide explicit expressions for the model's Poisson bracket and Hamiltonian, and thereby prove that the model is an infinite-dimensional Hamiltonian system. The bracket is derived in a manner that ensures it satisfies the Jacobi identity. We also report on several previously-unknown circulation theorems satisfied by the guiding center plasma model. Without knowledge of the Hamiltonian structure, these circulation theorems would be difficult to guess., 5 pages with references, v. 2.0

We detail the construction of a weak Poisson bracket over a submanifold Σ of a smooth manifold M with respect to a local foliation of this submanifold. Such a bracket satisfies a weak type Jacobi identity but may be viewed as a usual Poisson bracket on the space of leaves of the foliation. We then lift this weak Poisson bracket to a weak odd Poisson bracket on the odd tangent bundle ΠTM, interpreted as a weak Koszul bracket on differential forms on M. This lift is achieved by encoding the weak Poisson structure into a homotopy Poisson structure on an extended manifold, and lifting the Hamiltonian function that generates this structure. Such a construction has direct physical interpretation. For a generic gauge system, the submanifold Σ may be viewed as a stationary surface or a constraint surface, with the foliation given by the foliation of the gauge orbits. Through this interpretation, the lift of the weak Poisson structure is simply a lift of the action generating the corresponding BRST operator of the system.

We present a novel framework for Finite Element Particle-in-Cell methods based on the discretization of the underlying Hamiltonian structure of the Vlasov-Maxwell system. We derive a semi-discrete Poisson bracket, which retains the defining properties of a bracket, anti-symmetry and the Jacobi identity, as well as conservation of its Casimir invariants, implying that the semi-discrete system is still a Hamiltonian system. In order to obtain a fully discrete Poisson integrator, the semi-discrete bracket is used in conjunction with Hamiltonian splitting methods for integration in time. Techniques from Finite Element Exterior Calculus ensure conservation of the divergence of the magnetic field and Gauss' law as well as stability of the field solver. The resulting methods are gauge invariant, feature exact charge conservation and show excellent long-time energy and momentum behaviour. Due to the generality of our framework, these conservation properties are guaranteed independently of a particular choice of the Finite Element basis, as long as the corresponding Finite Element spaces satisfy certain compatibility conditions., 57 Pages

The field equations in a three-dimensional commutative space based on a set of commutation relations are derived. In this space, the commutation relation of the position and kinematic momentum of a particle is generalized to include a metric tensor field in addition to a vector field. The introduction of a metric tensor is a generalization of the commutation relation for Feynman’s proof of the Maxwell equations. In this paper, as the equations of motion and the field equations are classical, the Poisson bracket and not the commutation relation is used in the calculations. As the commutative space is defined by the Poisson bracket, the equations of motion for the particle and the field equations for the metric tensor and vector are derived from the Poisson bracket in Hamiltonian mechanics. The Helmholtz conditions, which express the existence of a Lagrangian for a particle in the space, are also derived from the Poisson bracket. Then the field equations are calculated explicitly by two approaches. One is to calculate the Helmholtz conditions using the equations of motion. The other is to calculate the Jacobi identity for the kinematic momentum or velocity of the particle. In addition to the homogeneous Maxwell equations, the generalized field equations are obtained to define the generalized electric and magnetic fields of the tensor field. Just like the usual electric and magnetic fields, the generalized fields are invariant under a local gauge transformation and should play significant roles in physics. Finally, the homogeneous Maxwell equations of the vector field are seen to exhibit similarities with the generalized field equations for the tensor field. This similarity provides a useful theoretical framework for constructing gravitoelectromagnetism, which is based on analogies between the equations for electromagnetism and relativistic gravitation. It remains to establish the usefulness of the theoretical framework with applications of the field equations.

Nonassociative structures have appeared in the study of D-branes in curved backgrounds. In recent work, string theory backgrounds involving three-form fluxes, where such structures show up, have been studied in more detail. We point out that under certain assumptions these nonassociative structures coincide with nonassociative Malcev algebras which had appeared in the quantum mechanics of systems with non-vanishing three-cocycles, such as a point particle moving in the field of a magnetic charge. We generalize the corresponding Malcev algebras to include electric as well as magnetic charges. These structures find their classical counterpart in the theory of Poisson-Malcev algebras and their generalizations. We also study their connection to Stueckelberg's generalized Poisson brackets that do not obey the Jacobi identity and point out that nonassociative string theory with a fundamental length corresponds to a realization of his goal to find a non-linear extension of quantum mechanics with a fundamental length. Similar nonassociative structures are also known to appear in the cubic formulation of closed string field theory in terms of open string fields, leading us to conjecture a natural string-field theoretic generalization of the AdS/CFT-like (holographic) duality., 33 pages; Latex file; References added, minor changes, typos corrected