Constructing a class of solutions for the Hamilton-Jacobi equation in field theory

A new approach leading to the formulation of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation for field theories is investigated within the framework of jet bundles and multisymplectic manifolds. An algorithm associating classes of solutions to given sets of boundary conditions of the field equations is provided. The paper also puts into evidence the intrinsic limits of the Hamilton-Jacobi method as an algorithm to determine families of solutions of the field equations, showing how the choice of the boundary data is often limited by compatibility conditions. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.