Single-Valued Hamiltonian via Legendre-Fenchel Transformation and Time Translation Symmetry

Under conventional Legendre transformation, systems with a non-convex Lagrangian will result in a multi-valued Hamiltonian as a function of conjugate momentum. This causes problems such as non-unitary time evolution of quantum state and non-determined motion of classical particles, and is physically unacceptable. In this work, we propose a new construction of single-valued Hamiltonian by applying Legendre-Fenchel transformation, which is a mathematically rigorous generalization of conventional Legendre transformation, valid for non-convex Lagrangian systems, but not yet widely known to the physics community. With the new single-valued Hamiltonian, we study spontaneous breaking of time translation symmetry and derive its vacuum state. Applications to theories of cosmology and gravitation are discussed.Comment: Journal Version, 16pp. All results + conclusions un-changed, only minor refinements to clarify the importance of our new LFT method and its physics applications; references adde

Time-dependent Aharonov-Bohm effect on the noncommutative space

We study the time-dependent Aharonov-Bohm effect on the noncommutative space. Because there is no net Aharonov-Bohm phase shift in the time-dependent case on the commutative space, therefore, a tiny deviation from zero indicates new physics. Based on the Seiberg-Witten map we obtain the gauge invariant and Lorentz covariant Aharonov-Bohm phase shift in general case on noncommutative space. We find there are two kinds of contribution: momentum-dependent and momentum-independent corrections. For the momentum-dependent correction, there is a cancellation between the magnetic and electric phase shifts, just like the case on the commutative space. However, there is a non-trivial contribution in the momentum-independent correction. This is true for both the time-independent and time-dependent Aharonov-Bohm effects on the noncommutative space. However, for the time-dependent Aharonov-Bohm effect, there is no overwhelming background which exists in the time-independent Aharonov-Bohm effect on both commutative and noncommutative space. Therefore, the time-dependent Aharonov-Bohm can be sensitive to the spatial noncommutativity. \draftnote{The net correction is proportional to the product of the magnetic fluxes through the fundamental area represented by the noncommutative parameter $\theta$, and through the surface enclosed by the trajectory of charged particle.} More interestingly, there is an anti-collinear relation between the logarithms of the magnetic field $B$ and the averaged flux $\Phi/N$ (N is the number of fringes shifted). This nontrivial relation can also provide a way to test the spatial noncommutativity. For $B\Phi/N\sim 1$, our estimation on the experimental sensitivity shows that it can reach the $\rm 10GeV$ scale. This sensitivity can be enhanced by using stronger magnetic field strength, larger magnetic flux, as well as higher experimental precision on the phase shift.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure; v2, accepted version by PL