Theory of Generalized Canonical Transformations for Birkhoff Systems

Transformation is an important means to study problems in analytical mechanics. It is often difficult to solve dynamic equations, and the use of variable transformation can make the equations easier to solve. The theory of canonical transformations plays an important role in solving Hamilton’s canonical equations. Birkhoffian mechanics is a natural generalization of Hamiltonian mechanics. This paper attempts to extend the canonical transformation theory of Hamilton systems to Birkhoff systems and establish the generalized canonical transformation of Birkhoff systems. First, the definition and criterion of the generalized canonical transformation for the Birkhoff system are established. Secondly, based on the criterion equation and considering the generating functions of different forms, six generalized canonical transformation formulas are derived. As special cases, the canonical transformation formulas of classical Hamilton’s equations are given. At the end of the paper, two examples are given to illustrate the application of the results.