Generating function (physics)

This article is about generating functions in physics. For generating functions in mathematics, see Generating function.

In physics, and more specifically in Hamiltonian mechanics, a generating function is, loosely, a function whose partial derivatives generate the differential equations that determine a system's dynamics. Common examples are the partition function of statistical mechanics, the Hamiltonian, and the function which acts as a bridge between two sets of canonical variables when performing a canonical transformation.

In canonical transformations

There are four basic generating functions, summarized by the following table:

Generating function	Its derivatives
$F=F_{1}(q,Q,t)\,\!$	$p=~~{\frac {\partial F_{1}}{\partial q}}\,\!$ and $P=-{\frac {\partial F_{1}}{\partial Q}}\,\!$
$F=F_{2}(q,P,t)=F_{1}+QP\,\!$	$p=~~{\frac {\partial F_{2}}{\partial q}}\,\!$ and $Q=~~{\frac {\partial F_{2}}{\partial P}}\,\!$
$F=F_{3}(p,Q,t)=F_{1}-qp\,\!$	$q=-{\frac {\partial F_{3}}{\partial p}}\,\!$ and $P=-{\frac {\partial F_{3}}{\partial Q}}\,\!$
$F=F_{4}(p,P,t)=F_{1}-qp+QP\,\!$	$q=-{\frac {\partial F_{4}}{\partial p}}\,\!$ and $Q=~~{\frac {\partial F_{4}}{\partial P}}\,\!$

Example

Sometimes a given Hamiltonian can be turned into one that looks like the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian, which is

$H=aP^{2}+bQ^{2}.$

For example, with the Hamiltonian

$H={\frac {1}{2q^{2}}}+{\frac {p^{2}q^{4}}{2}},$

where p is the generalized momentum and q is the generalized coordinate, a good canonical transformation to choose would be

$P=pq^{2}{\text{ and }}Q={\frac {-1}{q}}.\,$ 1

This turns the Hamiltonian into

$H={\frac {Q^{2}}{2}}+{\frac {P^{2}}{2}},$

which is in the form of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian.

The generating function F for this transformation is of the third kind,

$F=F_{3}(p,Q).$

To find F explicitly, use the equation for its derivative from the table above,

$P=-{\frac {\partial F_{3}}{\partial Q}},$

and substitute the expression for P from equation (1), expressed in terms of p and Q:

${\frac {p}{Q^{2}}}=-{\frac {\partial F_{3}}{\partial Q}}$

Integrating this with respect to Q results in an equation for the generating function of the transformation given by equation (1):

$F_{3}(p,Q)={\frac {p}{Q}}$

To confirm that this is the correct generating function, verify that it matches (1):

$q=-{\frac {\partial F_{3}}{\partial p}}={\frac {-1}{Q}}$

See also

• Hamilton–Jacobi equation
• Poisson bracket

Further reading

• Goldstein, Herbert; Poole, C. P.; Safko, J. L. (2001). Classical Mechanics (3rd ed.). Addison-Wesley. ISBN 978-0-201-65702-9.