The dynamics of spinning particles in curved space–time is discussed, emphasizing the hamiltonian formulation. Different choices of hamiltonians allow for the description of different gravitating systems. We give full results for the simplest case with minimal hamiltonian, constructing constants of motion including spin. The analysis is illustrated by the example of motion in Schwarzschild space–time. We also discuss a non-minimal extension of the hamiltonian giving rise to a gravitational equivalent of the Stern–Gerlach force. We show that this extension respects a large class of known constants of motion for the minimal case.
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