arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G. Giachetta.
We show that the cohomology groups of the horizontal (total) differential on horizontal (local) exterior forms on the infinite-order jet manifold of an affine bundle coincide with the De Rham cohomology groups of the base manifold. This prevents one from the topological obstruction to the definition of global descent equations in BRST theory on an arbitrary affine bundle.
We study the obstruction to the exactness of the variational complex for a field theory on an affine bundle.
In Hamiltonian time-dependent mechanics, the Poisson bracket does not define dynamic equations, that implies the corresponding peculiarities of describing time-dependent holonomic constraints. As in conservative mechanics, one can consider the Poisson bracket of constraints, separate them in first and second class constraints, construct the Koszul-Tate resolution and a BRST complex. However, the Poisson bracket of constraints and a Hamiltonian makes no sense. Hamiltonian vector fields for first class constraints are not generators of gauge transformations. In the case of Lagrangian constraints, we state the comprehensive relations between solutions of the Lagrange equations for an almost regular Lagrangian and solutions of the Hamilton equations for associated Hamiltonian forms, which live in the Lagrangian constraint space. Degenerate quadratic Lagrangian systems are studied in details. We construct the Koszul-Tate resolution for Lagrangian constraints of these systems in an explicit form.
We study the relationship between the equations of first order Lagrangian field theory on fiber bundles and the covariant Hamilton equations on the finite-dimensional polysymplectic phase space of covariant Hamiltonian field theory. The main peculiarity of these Hamilton equations lies in the fact that, for degenerate systems, they contain additional gauge fixing conditions. We develop the BRST extension of the covariant Hamiltonian formalism, characterized by a Lie superalgebra of BRST and anti-BRST symmetries.
We treat energy-momentum conservation laws as particular gauge conservation laws when generators of gauge transformations are horizontal vector fields on fibre bundles. In particular, the generators of general covariant transformations are the canonical horizontal prolongations of vector fields on a world manifold. This is the case of the energy-momentum conservation laws in gravitation theories. We find that, in main gravitational models, the corresponding energy-momentum flows reduce to the generalized Komar superpotential. We show that the superpotential form of a conserved flow is the common property of gauge conservation laws if generators of gauge transformations depend on derivatives of gauge parameters. At the same time, dependence of conserved flows on gauge parameters make gauge conservation laws form-invariant under gauge transformations.
The constraint reaction force of ideal nonholonomic constraints in time-dependent mechanics on a configuration bundle $Q\to R$ is obtained. Using the vertical extension of Hamiltonian formalism to the vertical tangent bundle $VQ$ of $Q\to R$, the Hamiltonian of a nonholonomic constrained system is constructed.
Building on the universal covering group of the general linear group, we introduce the composite spinor bundle whose subbundles are Lorentz spin structures associated with different gravitational fields. General covariant transformations of this composite spinor bundle are canonically defined.
The usual formulations of time-dependent mechanics start from a given splitting $Y=R\times M$ of the coordinate bundle $Y\to R$. From physical viewpoint, this splitting means that a reference frame has been chosen. Obviously, such a splitting is broken under reference frame transformations and time-dependent canonical transformations. Our goal is to formulate time-dependent mechanics in gauge-invariant form, i.e., independently of any reference frame. The main ingredient in this formulation is a connection on the bundle $Y\to R$ which describes an arbitrary reference frame. We emphasize the following peculiarities of this approach to time-dependent mechanics. A phase space does not admit any canonical contact or presymplectic structure which would be preserved under reference frame transformations, whereas the canonical Poisson structure is degenerate. A Hamiltonian fails to be a function on a phase space. In particular, it can not participate in a Poisson bracket so that the evolution equation is not reduced to the Poisson bracket. This fact becomes relevant to the quantization procedure. Hamiltonian and Lagrangian formulations of time-dependent mechanics are not equivalent. A degenerate Lagrangian admits a set of associated Hamiltonians, none of which describes the whole mechanical system given by this Lagrangian.
Our investigation of differential conservation laws in Lagrangian field theory is based on the first variational formula which provides the canonical decomposition of the Lie derivative of a Lagrangian density by a projectable vector field on a bundle (Part 1: gr-qc/9510061). If a Lagrangian density is invariant under a certain class of bundle isomorphisms, its Lie derivative by the associated vector fields vanishes and the corresponding differential conservation laws take place. If these vector fields depend on derivatives of parameters of bundle transformations, the conserved current reduces to a superpotential. This Part of the work is devoted to gravitational superpotentials. The invariance of a gravitational Lagrangian density under general covariant transformations leads to the stress-energy-momentum conservation law where the energy-momentum flow of gravity reduces to the corresponding generalized Komar superpotential. The associated energy-momentum (pseudo) tensor can be defined and calculated on solutions of metric and affine-metric gravitational models.
We show that the covariant derivative of Dirac fermion fields in the presence of a general linear connection on a world manifold is universal for Einstein's, gauge and affine-metric gravitation theories.
In case of the Einstein's gravitation theory and its first order Palatini reformulation, the stress-energy-momentum of gravity has been proved to reduce to the Komar superpotential. We generalize this result to the affine-metric theory of gravity in case of general connections and arbitrary Lagrangian densities invariant under general covariant transformations. In this case, the stress-energy-momentum of gravity comes to the generalized Komar superpotential depending on a Lagrangian density in a precise way.
Differential conservation laws in Lagrangian field theory are usually related to symmetries of a Lagrangian density and are obtained if the Lie derivative of a Lagrangian density by a certain class of vector fields on a fiber bundle vanishes. However, only two field models meet this property in fact. In gauge theory of exact internal symmetries, the Lie derivative by vertical vector fields corresponding to gauge transformations is equal to zero. The corresponding Nöether current is reduced to a superpotential that provides invariance of the Nöether conservation law under gauge transformations. In the gravitation theory, we meet the phenomenon of "hidden energy". Only the superpotential part of energy-momentum of gravity and matter is observed when the general covariant transformations are exact. Other parts of energy-momentum display themselves if the invariance under general covariance transformations is broken, e.g., by a background world metric. In this case, the Lie derivatives of Lagrangian densities by vector fields which call into play the stress-energy-momentum tensors fail to be equal to zero in general. We base our analysis of differential conservation laws on the canonical decomposition of the Lie derivative of a Lagrangian density $L$ by a projectable vector field on a bundle and with respect to different Lepagian equivalents of $L$. Different Lepagian equivalents lead to conserved quantities which differ from each other in superpotential terms. We have different stress-energy-momentum tensors depending on different lifts of vector fields on a base onto a bundle. Moreover, different solutions of the same Euler-Lagrange equations may require different energy-momentum tensors. We show that different stress-energy-momentum tensors differ from each other in Nöether currents. As