On the initial value problem for causal variational principles (Q521672)

Causal variational principles arise in the context of relativistic quantum theory. If \(\mathcal{F}\) is a compact metric space, \(\mathcal{L}\in C^0(\mathcal{F}\times\mathcal{F},\mathbb R^+_0)\) is a symmetric Lagrangian, then the action \(\mathcal{S}\) is defined as \[ \mathcal{S}[\rho]=\iint_{\mathcal{F}\times\mathcal{F}}\mathcal{L}(x,y)\,d\rho(x)\,d\rho(y), \] where \(\rho\) is normalized positive regular Borel measure on \(\mathcal{F}\). The action principle is to minimize \(\mathcal{S}\) by varying \(\rho\) in the class \(\mathbb M^+_1(\mathcal{F})\) of normalized positive regular Borel measures on \(\mathcal{F}\). For \(\mathfrak{F}\subset\mathcal{F}\), the inner variational principle is to minimize \(\mathcal{S}_{\mathfrak{F}}\) under variations of \(\rho\) in the class \(\mathbb M^+(\mathfrak{F})\), where \[ \mathcal{S}_{\mathfrak{F}}[\rho,\varphi]=\iint_{\mathfrak{F}\times\mathfrak{F}}\mathcal{L}(x,y)\,d\rho(x)\,d\rho(y)+2\int_{\mathfrak{F}}(\varphi(x)-\mathfrak{s})\,d\rho(x) \] and \(\mathfrak{s}>0\) is a parameter and \(\varphi:\mathfrak{F}\to\mathbb R^+_0\) is a non-negative function in the class \(\mathbb B^+(\mathfrak{F})\) of bounded and lower semi-continuous functions. For a measure \(\rho_0\in\mathbb M^+(\mathfrak{F})\) and a parameter \(\mathfrak{s}>0\), a measure \(\rho\in\mathbb M^+(\mathfrak{F})\) is said to be a solution of the initial value problem in \(\mathfrak{F}\) with initial data \(\rho_0\) and external potential \(\varphi\in\mathbb B^+(\mathfrak{F})\) if it is a minimizer of the inner variational principle with the additional property \(\rho\geq\rho_0\). The set of solutions together with the corresponding external potentials is \(\mathfrak{S}_{\mathfrak{F}}(\rho_0)\). In the present paper, the authors analyze the question how an initial value problem can be posed for causal variational principles, and whether it has a unique solution. They derive the inner variational principle as well as the corresponding Euler-Lagrange equations, discuss the method of prescribing initial data, and introduce different notions of optimal solutions. The authors prove existence results for the inner variational principle by showing that for any given potential \(\varphi\in\mathbb B^+(\mathfrak{F})\), the action \(\mathcal{S}_{\mathfrak{F}}[\cdot,\varphi]\) has a minimizer \(\rho\in\mathbb M^(\mathfrak{F})\). Moreover, they characterize those initial data which admit solutions of the initial value problem and prove existence of optimal solutions. Also, the authors introduce the domain of dependence as the largest set where the inner variational principle has a unique solution for every \(\varphi\in\mathbb B^+(\mathfrak{F})\). Finally, they analyze the uniqueness of optimal solutions and construct the uniquely determined maximal optimal solution. Some examples of initial value problems are presented.