Differential form methods in the theory of variational systems and Lagrangian field theories

MaRDI QIDQ1114922zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors Robert Hermann

Publication date 1988

Published in Acta Applicandae Mathematicae (Search for Journal in Brave)

zbMATH Keywords

Maxwell equationsPoincaré-Cartan formstring theories in Riemannian manifoldsYang-Mills theory

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Minimal surfaces and optimization (49Q05) Manifolds and measure-geometric topics (49Q99) Exterior differential systems (Cartan theory) (58A15) Electromagnetic theory (general) (78A25) Applications of quantum theory to specific physical systems (81V99)

Review text

The paper provides a clear introduction into the formal calculus of variations and applications to theoretical physics based on the theory of differential forms. A variational problem on a manifold Z is determined by a scalar-valued n-form \(\vartheta\) and an ideal \({\mathcal C}\) in the algebra of differential forms on Z; among the n-dimensional submanifolds \(\alpha\) :X\(\to Z\), satisfying \(\alpha^*{\mathcal C}=0\), we find that one for which the action \(\int \alpha^*\vartheta\) is stationary. Besides the classical extremals (defined by vanishing variation) other ones (called Cartan's are introduced in a purely algebraic manner by the use of the Poincaré-Cartan form \(\vartheta +\gamma\) (\(\gamma\in {\mathcal C})\) satisfying \(d(\vartheta +\gamma)\in {\mathcal C}\). The method is applied to the string theories in Riemannian manifolds, Maxwell equations, Yang- Mills theory and the definition of energy first-order field theories. Reviewer's remark: The P.-C. forms as defined above do not exist in general and the weaker condition \(d(\vartheta +\gamma)\in {\mathcal C}\) only along \(\alpha\) (X) is necessary.

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Cited in

(10)

• Geometrical and topological methods in optimal control theory
• A modified formal Lagrangian formulation for general differential equations
• The principle of virtual work and Hamilton's principle on Galilean manifolds
• Field Theories in the Modern Calculus of Variations
• The symmetry reduction of variational integrals, complement.
• The symmetry reduction of variational integrals
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 917879 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 6973083 (Why is no real title available?)
• The Poincaré-Cartan forms of one-dimensional variational integrals
• On the Lagrange variational problem

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