Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1953
Abstract
The equations of a field may be put into a standard "Lagrangian" form from which several conservation laws follow directly. As an illustrative example, a string free to vibrate in two directions is investigated; this example clearly illustrates the outstanding features of the canonical theory, while avoiding the notational and physical complications encountered in most systems of practical interest. The conservation laws are interpreted for the string. The theory is further developed to express the field's behavior in terms of canonical coordinates and momenta. Quantum conditions are introduced, as in meson theory and quantum electrodynamics. It is shown that the mathematics of the "quantized string" is that of several charged particles occupying a set of energy states.
Publisher
American Association of Physics Teachers
RU Laboratory
Knight Laboratory
Permanent URL
http://hdl.handle.net/10209/504
Recommended Citation
American Journal of Physics 21, 421 (1953)
Comments
Posted with permission: Copyright (1953) American Association of Physics Teachers. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Association of Physics Teachers.