Regular Symplectic Reduction Theory

Abstract

In this chapter we present the most elementary version of symplectic reduction using standard momentum maps. The symplectic reduction method represents a generalization and synthesis of various techniques of elimination of variables from classical mechanics that are based on the existence of conserved quantities. Early specific examples are the reduction to the center of mass frame in the n-body problem using translational invariance and Jacobi’s elimination of the node that allows the elimination of four variables using rotational invariance.