Abstract:
The variational equation corresponding to a fixed interval of the trajectory of a
Bamiltonian system of classical dynamics generates a linear canonical differential
operator. If a connection consistent with the sympleetic structure is defined on
the tangent bundle of the phase space, it is possible to introduce a regularized
determinant of such an operator. The trace formula expresses this determinant
in terms of the Jacobian of a transformation that is determined by the motion of
the classical system and acts on a space with dimension equal to the number of
degrees of freedom. A connection between the relations that are obtained and the
semielassical asymptotic behavior for the functional integral that describes the
dynamics of the corresponding quantum system is noted.