Infinite-dimensional analogs of the minimal coupling principle and of the Poincaré lemma for differential two-forms (Q1203474)

The language of this work is differential algebra [see for example chapter 1 of \textit{Yu. I. Manin} in J. Sov. Math. 11, 1-122 (1979); translation from Itogi Nauk Tekh. Ser. Sovrem. Probl. Mat. 11, 5-152 (1978; Zbl 0413.35001)]. With the notations introduced there, the following motion equation is associated to any skew symmetric matrix differential operator \(\overline B\) and to any Hamiltonian \(H=H(x,v,v_ x,\dots):\) \(\dot v=\overline B(\delta H/\delta v)\). The main goal of this work is to prove the following theorem. Theorem. Suppose (1) \(B=\left({0\atop -1}{1\atop -b}\right)\) is a Hamiltonian matrix in the space with the field variables \(q,p\), where \(b\) is a skew symmetric matrix differential operator which is \(p\)- independent. Then there exists a transformation (2) \(q=q\), \(p_{new}=p_{old}+A(q)\) where \(A\) may depend upon \(x=(x_ 1,\dots,x_ m)\), \(q=(q_ 1,\dots,q_ n)\), and \(x\)-derivatives of \(q\), which brings the Hamiltonian matrix \(B\) given by (1) into the canonical form (3) \(B_{can}=\left({0\atop -1}{1\atop 0}\right)\). The ``magnetic potential'' \(A\) is given in terms of \(b\) by the expression (4) \(A=\int^ 1_ 0R_ s[b(q)]ds\) where \(R_ s\) is the dilatation (5) \(R_ s[f(x,q,q_ x,\dots)]:=f(x,sq,sq_ x,\dots)\). In the particular case of classical mechanics, the mass vanishes and no \(x\)'s are present. Hence the condition for the matrix \(B\) to be Hamiltonian is that the two-form \(\tilde b=\sum_{i<j}b_{ij}dq_ i\wedge dq_ j\) is closed. Hence formula (4) and (5) reduce in this particular case to the classical Poincaré homotopy formula giving a differential form of degree one \(\alpha=\sum A_ jdq_ j\) such that \(\tilde b=d\alpha\). The author also gives an invariant formulation of his result (in terms of jet bundles) and a nonabelian extension (motivated by Yang-Mills fields).