Duality in spontaneous broken time translation symmetry: Sisyphus dynamics and the Liénard equation

Abstract

In this paper, we establish a connection between Sisyphus dynamics and the Liénard-II equation through branched Hamiltonians. Sisyphus dynamics stem from a higher-order Lagrangian. Surprisingly, when expressed in terms of velocity, the Sisyphus dynamical equations align closely with the Liénard-II equation. Sisyphus dynamics introduces velocity-dependent “mass functions”, a departure from conventional position-dependent mass, potentially linked to cosmological time crystals. Additionally, we demonstrate that spontaneously broken time translational symmetry results in a deformed symplectic structure, resembling the classical counterpart of the Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP).