Lorentz-Covariant Hamiltonian Formalism

Abstract

The dynamic of a classical system can be expressed by means of Poisson brackets. In this paper we generalize the relation between the usual non covariant Hamiltonian and the Poisson brackets to a covariant Hamiltonian and new brackets in the frame of the Minkowski space. These brackets can be related to those used by Feynman in his derivation of Maxwell's equations. The case of curved space is also considered with the introduction of Christoffel symbols, covariant derivatives, and curvature tensors.