nLab constrained mechanics

Idea

(…)

Related cocepts

• first class constraint

• Gauss law

References

The original discussion of Hamiltonian mechanics with constraints:

• Paul A. M. Dirac, Generalized Hamiltonian Dynamics, Canadian Journal of Mathematics 2 (1950) 129-148 [doi:10.4153/CJM-1950-012-1]

  reprinted in:

  Alexander S. Blum, Dean Rickles (eds.), Ch.34 in: Quantum Gravity in the First Half of the Twentieth Century: A Sourcebook, Edition Open Sources 10 (2018) 484-503 [doi:10.34663/9783945561317-00, pdf]

  (beware that Dirac never uses the term “constraint” but speaks of “equations”)

Textbook account:

• Marc Henneaux, Claudio Teitelboim, Chapter One in: Quantization of Gauge Systems, Princeton University Press (1992) [ISBN:9780691037691, doi:10.2307/j.ctv10crg0r, jstor:j.ctv10crg0r]