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Three-dimensional ghost-free representations of the Pais-Uhlenbeck model from Tri-Hamiltonians

Felski, A., Fring, A. ORCID: 0000-0002-7896-7161 & Turner, B. (2026). Three-dimensional ghost-free representations of the Pais-Uhlenbeck model from Tri-Hamiltonians. Physics Letters A, 572, article number 131332. doi: 10.1016/j.physleta.2026.131332

Abstract

We present a detailed analysis of the sixth-order Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator and construct three-dimensional ghost-free representations through a Tri-Hamiltonian framework. We identify a six-dimensional Abelian Lie algebra of the PU model’s dynamical flow and derive a hierarchy of conserved Hamiltonians governed by multiple compatible Poisson structures. These structures enable the realisation of a complete Tri-Hamiltonian formulation that generates identical dynamical flows. Positive-definite Hamiltonians are constructed, and their relation to the full Tri-Hamiltonian hierarchy is analysed. Furthermore, we develop a mapping between the PU model and a class of three-dimensional coupled second-order systems, revealing explicit conditions for ghost-free equivalence. We also explore the consequences of introducing interaction terms, showing that the multi-Hamiltonian structure is generally lost in such cases.

Publication Type: Article
Additional Information: © 2026. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Publisher Keywords: Pais-Uhlenbeck model, Higher time derivative theories, Multi-Hamiltonians, Poisson bracket structures
Subjects: Q Science > QC Physics
Departments: School of Science & Technology
School of Science & Technology > Department of Mathematics
SWORD Depositor:
[thumbnail of ThreeDPU.pdf] Text - Accepted Version
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