<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE article  PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD Journal Publishing DTD v3.0 20080202//EN" "http://dtd.nlm.nih.gov/publishing/3.0/journalpublishing3.dtd"><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="3.0" xml:lang="en" article-type="research article"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">JMP</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title>Journal of Modern Physics</journal-title></journal-title-group><issn pub-type="epub">2153-1196</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Scientific Research Publishing</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.4236/jmp.2015.62016</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">JMP-54156</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Articles</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="Discipline-v2"><subject>Physics&amp;Mathematics</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>
 
 
  One Dimensional Relativistic Free Particle in a Quadratic Dissipative Medium
 
</article-title></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>.</surname><given-names>V. López</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref><xref ref-type="corresp" rid="cor1"><sup>*</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>G.</surname><given-names>C. Montes</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>J.</surname><given-names>G. T. Zanudo</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref></contrib></contrib-group><aff id="aff1"><addr-line>Departamento de Fsica, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, México</addr-line></aff><author-notes><corresp id="cor1">* E-mail:<email>gulopez@cencar.udg.mx(.VL)</email>;</corresp></author-notes><pub-date pub-type="epub"><day>10</day><month>02</month><year>2015</year></pub-date><volume>06</volume><issue>02</issue><fpage>121</fpage><lpage>125</lpage><history><date date-type="received"><day>26</day>	<month>January</month>	<year>2015</year></date><date date-type="rev-recd"><day>accepted</day>	<month>13</month>	<year>February</year>	</date><date date-type="accepted"><day>16</day>	<month>February</month>	<year>2015</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement>&#169; Copyright  2014 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. </copyright-statement><copyright-year>2014</copyright-year><license><license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</license-p></license></permissions><abstract><p>
 
 
  The deduction of a constant of motion, a Lagrangian, and a Hamiltonian for relativistic particle moving in a dissipative medium characterized by a force which depends on the square of the velocity of the particle is done. It is shown that while the trajectories in the space (
  x,
  v), defined by the constant of motion, look as one might expected, the trajectories in the space (
  x,
  p), defined by the Hamiltonian, have an odd behavior.&lt;
 
</p></abstract><kwd-group><kwd>Lagrangian</kwd><kwd> Hamiltonian</kwd><kwd> Constant of Motion</kwd><kwd> Dissipation</kwd><kwd> Relativistic</kwd></kwd-group></article-meta></front><body><sec id="s1"><title>1. Introduction</title><p>It is well known that the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian approaches for some non-dissipative and some dissipative systems have some problems [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.54156-ref1">1</xref>] -[<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.54156-ref6">6</xref>] . One of these problems consists of the possibility of having two different Hamiltonian to the same classical system [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.54156-ref7">7</xref>] , implying that one will have two different quantizations for this system. Another problem consists that for some dissipative non-relativistic systems, like a free particle moving in a dissipative medium characterized by a force which depends on the square of the velocity of the particle, the trajectories on the space <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x7.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> have an odd behavior. However, the trajectories on the space<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x8.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, defined by the constant of motion, have a good expected behavior [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.54156-ref8">8</xref>] . Nevertheless, the interest in having Hamiltonian for dissipative system continues [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.54156-ref9">9</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.54156-ref10">10</xref>] .</p><p>In this work, the study of this former problem is extended to the relativistic motion of the particle. The constant of motion, the Lagrangian, and the Hamiltonian are deduced consistently, and it is shown that the behaviors of the trajectories of the particle in the phase space <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x9.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> are odd when the Hamiltonian approach is used. However, the trajectories in the space<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x10.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, when the constant of motion is used, behave as one can expected .</p></sec><sec id="s2"><title>2. Constant of Motion, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian</title><p>The one-dimensional motion of a relativistic particle of mass “m” at rest which is moving with a velocity <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x11.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in a dissipative medium characterized by a force which depends on the square of this velocity is described by the equation</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2283"><label>, (1)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x12.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>where <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x13.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is the dissipative parameter, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x14.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>is the speed of light, and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x15.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is the relativistic factor,<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x16.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>Actually, Equation (1) represents a dissipative system for<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x17.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, otherwise it represents an anti-dissipative system. Therefore, only the case <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x18.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> will be considered below. This system can be written as the following dynamical system</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2284"><label>. (2)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x19.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>A constant of motion for this system is a function <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x20.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> such that it satisfies the following partial differential equation of first order [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.54156-ref11">11</xref>]</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2285"><label>. (3)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x21.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>The general solution of this equation [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.54156-ref12">12</xref>] is given by<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x22.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, where <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x22.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x23.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is an arbitrary function of the characteristic curve<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x22.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x23.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x24.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>,</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2286"><label>. (4)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x25.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>By choosing<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x26.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, a constant of motion is gotten with energy units,</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2287"><label>. (5)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x27.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>The Lagrangian of the system can be consistently deduced from the known expression</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2288"><label>, (6)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x28.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>which establishes the relation between the Lagrangian and the constant of motion of the system [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.54156-ref13">13</xref>] - [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.54156-ref16">16</xref>] . Using this expression it follows that</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2289"><label>. (7)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x29.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>The generalized linear momentum, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x30.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, is given by</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2290"><label>. (8)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x31.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>The plot of this expression and the plot of the usual relativistic free linear momentum expression</p><p><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x32.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>are shown in <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref>, where one sees that for Equation (8) there is not a one to one</p><p>relation between the velocity <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x33.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and the generalized linear momentum <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x33.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x34.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> of Equation (8).</p><fig id="fig1"  position="float"><label><xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref></label><caption><title> Relation between the generalized linear momentum and velocity</title></caption><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x35.png"/></fig><p>The inverse relation of Equation (8) is shown on <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig2">Figure 2</xref>, which is given analytically by</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2291"><label>, (9a)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x36.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>and</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2292"><label>. (9b)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x37.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>These expressions define respectively the Hamiltonians <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x38.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x38.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x39.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> as</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2293"><label>, (10a)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x40.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>and</p><disp-formula id="scirp.54156-formula2294"><label>. (10b)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x41.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula></sec><sec id="s3"><title>3. Trajectories</title><p>Using the initial conditions<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x42.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, with <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x42.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x43.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x42.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x43.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x44.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, the constant of motion (5) is determined and the trajectories on the space <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x42.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x43.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x44.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x45.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> can be calculated. <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig3">Figure 3</xref> shows these trajectories for several values of the</p><fig id="fig2"  position="float"><label><xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig2">Figure 2</xref></label><caption><title> Inverse relation between the generalized linear momentum and velocity</title></caption><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x46.png"/></fig><fig id="fig3"  position="float"><label><xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig3">Figure 3</xref></label><caption><title> Trajectories in the (x,v) space, defined by the con- stant of motion</title></caption><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x47.png"/></fig><p>parameter<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x48.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. As one can see, the falling down of these trajectories and the way they are falling as the para- meter <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x48.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x49.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> increases represent the behavior that one can expected for a dissipative medium. Now, given these same initial conditions, the initial generalized linear momentum is calculated from expression (8). One uses the expression (10a) to determinate the value of this Hamiltonian and to calculated the trajectories in the space<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x48.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x49.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x50.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. These trajectories can be seen in <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig4">Figure 4</xref>. As one can see, these trajectories have an odd behavior since <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x48.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x49.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x50.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x51.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> go to infinity as the particle is slowing down, but this was already expected from the same expression for the generalized linear momentum, Equation (8).</p></sec><sec id="s4"><title>4. Conclusion</title><p>We have constructed consistently a constant of motion, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian for a relativistic particle moving in a dissipative medium, characterized by a force which depends on the square velocity of the particle.</p><fig id="fig4"  position="float"><label><xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig4">Figure 4</xref></label><caption><title> Trajectories in the (x,p) space, defined by the Hamil- tonian</title></caption><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x52.png"/></fig><p>The trajectories in the space<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, defined by the constant of motion, behave as we can expect. However, the trajectories in the space<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/5-7502123x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, defined by the Hamiltonian, behave oddly and totally anti-intuitively. This suggests that the Hamiltonian approach applied to dissipation problem may bring about incorrect solutions if it is directly applied to quantum mechanics or statistical physics.</p></sec></body><back><ref-list><title>References</title><ref id="scirp.54156-ref1"><label>1</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">Dodonov, V.P., Man’ko, V.I. and Skarzhinsky, V.D. (1981) Hadronic Journal, 4, 1734.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.54156-ref2"><label>2</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">Havas, P. (1973) Act. Phys. 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