Characterisation of gradient flows for a given functional (Q6564427)

Let \(M\) be a manifold. Given a vector field \(X\) and a one-form \(\alpha\), one can ask whether there exists a Riemannian metric \(g\) such that \(\alpha=g^\flat\circ X\), where \(g^\flat\colon TM\to T^*M\) is the canonical vector bundle isomorphism. In the paper, necessary and sufficient conditions for \(X\) and \(\alpha\) are given in two cases: \N\begin{enumerate}\N\item when \(X\) and \(\alpha\) are real analytic, in which case \(g\) is smooth, \N\item when \(X\) and \(\alpha\) are of class \(C^{k+1}\) for \(k\in\mathbb{N}\), in which case \(g\) is of class \(C^k\). \N\end{enumerate}\NThe hard part of the proof is the local existence around points where \(X\) (and so also \(\alpha\)) vanish. The conditions given are zeroth- and first-order conditions. These low-order conditions are shown to suffice to imply higher-order conditions arising from Taylor expansions. In the real analytic case, it is shown that the order-by-order conditions arising for \(g\) lead to a convergent Taylor series. A partition of unity argument gives the global result.\N\NOf course, the result is applicable to the case when \(\alpha=df\) for a function \(f\), in which case the vector field \(X\) becomes a gradient vector field. An application of this gradient setting is given to dissipative quantum systems.