Phase Volume
Phase Volume
the volume in phase space. For a mechanical system with N degrees of freedom, the elementary phase volume is equal to dpdq = dpldq1 . . . dpNdqN, where q1, . . .,qN are the generalized coordinates and p1, . . .,pN are the generalized momenta of the system. The phase volume of a finite phase region G is equal to the 2N-dimensional integral ∫Gdpdq. If the system is described by Hamilton’s equations of motion, then the system’s phase volume remains constant when the system moves (Liouville’s theorem). This makes it possible to introduce normalized distribution functions in phase space.