Hamiltonian structure of real Monge - Ampère equations

The variational principle for the real homogeneous Monge - Ampere equation in two dimensions is shown to contain three arbitrary functions of four variables. There exist two different specializations of this variational principle where the Lagrangian is degenerate and furthermore contains an arbitrary function of two variables. The Hamiltonian formulation of these degenerate Lagrangian systems requires the use of Dirac's theory of constraints. As in the case of most completely integrable systems the constraints are second class and Dirac brackets directly yield the Hamiltonian operators. Thus the real homogeneous Monge - Ampere equation in two dimensions admits two classes of infinitely many Hamiltonian operators, namely a family of local, as well as another family non-local Hamiltonian operators and symplectic 2-forms which depend on arbitrary functions of two variables. The simplest non-local Hamiltonian operator corresponds to the Kac - Moody algebra of vector fields and functions on the unit circle. Hamiltonian operators that belong to either class are compatible with each other but between classes there is only one compatible pair. In the case of real Monge - Ampere equations with constant right-hand side this compatible pair is the only pair of Hamiltonian operators that survives. Then the complete integrability of all these real Monge - Ampere equations follows by Magri's theorem. Some of the remarkable properties we have obtained for the Hamiltonian structure of the real homogeneous Monge - Ampere equation in two dimensions turn out to be generic to the real homogeneous Monge - Ampere equation and the geodesic flow for the complex homogeneous Monge - Ampere equation in arbitrary number of dimensions. Hence among all integrable nonlinear evolution equations in one space and one time dimension, the real homogeneous Monge - Ampere equation is distinguished as one that retains its character as an integrable system in multiple dimensions.