Local variational problems and conservation laws (Q719821)

Let \(\pi:\mathbb{Y}\to \mathbb{X}\) be a fibered manifold with \(\dim \mathbb{X}=n\) and \(\dim \mathbb{Y}=n+m\). For \(r\geq0\), let \(J_r\mathbb{Y}\) be the space of \(r\)-jet prolongations of sections of \(\pi\). The natural fiberings \(\pi^r_s:J_r\mathbb{Y}\to J_s\mathbb{Y}\), \(r\geq s\), are affine bundles that induce the natural fibered splitting \[ J_r\mathbb{Y}\times_{J_{r-1}\mathbb{Y}}T^*J_{r-1}\mathbb{Y}=J_r\mathbb{Y}\times_{J_{r-1}\mathbb{Y}}(T^*\mathbb{X}\oplus V^*J_{r-1}\mathbb{Y})\;, \] which in turn induces a decomposition of the exterior differential into horizontal and vertical components, \((\pi^{r+1}_r)^*\circ d=d_H+d_V\). For a projectable vector field \(\Xi\) on \(\mathbb{Y}\), let \(j_r\Xi\) denote its jet prolongation, whose horizontal and vertical components are denoted by \(j_r\Xi_H\) and \(j_r\Xi_V\). The variational sequence of order \(r\) defined by \(\pi:\mathbb{X}\to \mathbb{Y}\) is an exact soft resolution \((\mathcal{V}_r^*,\mathcal{E}_*)\) of the constant sheaf \(\mathbb{R}_\mathbb{Y}\) over \(\mathbb{Y}\), which is defined by using \(k\)-forms on jet spaces of order \(r\). The cohomology \(H_{VS}^*(\mathbb{Y})\) of the corresponding complex of global sections, \(((\mathcal{V}_r^*)_\mathbb{Y},\mathcal{E}_*)\), is naturally isomorphic to the de~Rham cohomology \(H_{dR}^*(\mathbb{Y})\). In this setup, each \(\lambda\in(\mathcal{V}_r^n)_\mathbb{Y}\) is a Lagrangian, \(\mathcal{E}_n(\lambda)\) is an Euler-Lagrange form (\(\mathcal{E}_n\) is the Euler-Lagrange morphism), each \(\eta\in(\mathcal{V}_r^{n+1})_\mathbb{Y}\) is a dynamical form, and \(\widetilde{H}_{d\eta}:=\mathcal{E}_{n+1}(\eta)\) is a Helmholtz form (\(\mathcal{E}_{n+1}\) is the Helmholtz morphism). \(\mathcal{E}_n(\mathcal{V}_r^n)\) is called the sheaf of Euler-Lagrange morphisms. It is said that \(\eta\in(\mathcal{V}_r^{n+1})_\mathbb{Y}\) is locally variational if \(\mathcal{E}_{n+1}(\eta)=0\) (the Helmholtz condition), and globally variational if \(\eta\in(\mathcal{E}_n(\mathcal{V}_r^n))_\mathbb{Y}\). The following cohomological condition determines when a locally variational \(\eta\) is globally variational. Let \(\mathbb{K}_r=\ker\mathcal{E}_n\). The short exact sequence of sheaves \[ 0 \to \mathbb{K}_r \to \mathcal{V}_r^n \to \mathcal{E}_n(\mathcal{V}_r^n) \to 0 \] gives rise to a long exact sequence in cohomology \[ 0 \to (\mathbb{K}_r)_\mathbb{Y} \to (\mathcal{V}_r^n)_\mathbb{Y} \to (\mathcal{E}_n(\mathcal{V}_r^n))_\mathbb{Y} \to H^1(\mathbb{Y},\mathbb{K}_r)\to0\;, \] with \(H^1(\mathbb{Y},\mathbb{K}_r)\cong H_{VS}^{n+1}(\mathbb{Y})\cong H_{dR}^{n+1}(\mathbb{Y})\). Then \(\eta\) is globally variational if and only if \(\delta\eta=0\), where \(\delta\) denotes the map \( (\mathcal{E}_n(\mathcal{V}_r^n))_\mathbb{Y} \to H^1(\mathbb{Y},\mathbb{K}_r)\) of the above sequence. Given a countable open covering \(\{U_i\}\) of \(\mathbb{Y}\), a system of local sections \(\lambda_i\in(\mathcal{V}_r^n)_{U_i}\) is called a local variational problem when \(\mathcal{E}_n((\lambda_i-\lambda_j)|_{U_i\cap U_j})=0\). Two local variational problems are equivalent if they give rise to the same Euler-Lagrange morphism. Thus every cohomology class in \(H_{VS}^{n+1}(\mathbb{Y})\cong H_{dR}^{n+1}(\mathbb{Y})\) gives rise to a local variational problem. The authors consider the symmetries of a local variational problem given by a vector field \(\Xi\) on \(\mathbb{Y}\) projectable to a vector field \(\xi\) on \(\mathbb{X}\). Precisely, they consider the variational Lie derivative operator \(\mathcal{L}_{j_r\Xi}\), and prove the following proposition. For the Euler-Lagrange morphism \(\eta_\lambda\) of a local variational problem \(\lambda\equiv(\lambda_i)\), if \(\mathcal{L}_{j_r\Xi}\eta_\lambda=0\), then the following local conservation law holds: \[ 0=d_H\big(j_r\Xi_V\lrcorner\, p_{d_V\lambda_i}+\xi\lrcorner\, \lambda_i-\beta(\lambda_i,\Xi)\big) \] for some \(\beta(\lambda_i,\Xi)\). Here, \(\epsilon(\lambda_i,\Xi)=j_r\Xi_V\lrcorner\, p_{d_V\lambda_i}+\xi\lrcorner\, \lambda_i\) is the canonical or Noether current. The local conserved currents are \(\epsilon(\lambda_i,\Xi)-\beta(\lambda_i,\Xi)\); indeed, \(\epsilon(\lambda_i,\Xi)\) is conserved if and only if \(\Xi\) is also a symmetry of \(\lambda_i\). The authors also show that \[ d_H\big(\epsilon(\lambda_i,\Xi)-\beta(\lambda_i,\Xi)-\epsilon(\lambda_j,\Xi)+\beta(\lambda_j,\Xi)\big)=0\;, \] and the local currents \(\epsilon(\lambda_i,\Xi)-\beta(\lambda_i,\Xi)\) define a global preserved current if and only if \([\Xi_V\lrcorner\,\eta_\lambda]=0\) in \(H^n_{dR}(\mathbb{Y})\). Finally, they prove that this obstruction \([\Xi_V\lrcorner\,\eta_\lambda]\) is the difference of two conceptually independent cohomology classes, one coming from the symmetries of the Euler-Lagrange morphism and the other from the the system of local Noether currents.