Currents and the energy-momentum tensor in classical field theory: a fresh look at an old problem

We give a comprehensive review of various methods to define currents and the energy-momentum tensor in classical field theory, with emphasis on a geometric point of view. The necessity of “improving” the expressions provided by the canonical Noether procedure is addressed and given an adequate geometric framework. The main new ingredient is the explicit formulation of a principle of “ultralocality” with respect to the symmetry generators, which is shown to fix the ambiguity inherent in the procedure of improvement and guide it towards a unique answer: when combined with the appropriate splitting of the fields into sectors, it leads to the well-known expressions for the current as the variational derivative of the matter field Lagrangian with respect to the gauge field and for the energy-momentum tensor as the variational derivative of the matter field Lagrangian with respect to the metric tensor. In the second case, the procedure is shown to work even when the matter field Lagrangian depends explicitly on the curvature, thus establishing the correct relation between scale invariance, in the form of local Weyl invariance “on shell”, and tracelessness of the energy-momentum tensor, required for a consistent definition of the concept of a conformal field theory.     

二维静态时空中Dirac场的重正化能动张量和Casimir效应

在一般渐近平直的二维静态黑洞时空中,利用重正化能动张量的一般性质, 对位于两“平行板”间满足Dirichlet条件的无质量Dirac场的重正化能动张量的真空期待值进行了分析和计算, 得到了一般表达式.利用该表达式可以给出各种具体渐近平直二维静态黑洞时空中的相应Casimir力.对于重正化能动张量及Casimir力与真空态定义(包括Boulware 真空态、Hartle-Hawking真空态和Unrum真空态三种情况)、Hawking辐射和反常迹的关系分别进行了讨论，给出了相应的表达式和计算结果. 关键词： 能动张量 Casimir 效应 黑洞 真空态     

Clebsch representations and energy-momentum of the classical electromagnetic and gravitational fields

By means of a Clebsch representation which differs from that previously applied to electromagnetic field theory it is shown that Maxwell's equations are derivable from a variational principle. In contrast to the standard approach, the Hamiltonian complex associated with this principle is identical with the generally accepted energy-momentum tensor of the fields. In addition, the Clebsch representation of a contravariant vector field makes it possible to consistently construct a field theory based upon a direction-dependent Lagrangian density (it is this kind of Lagrangian density that may arise when developing the Finslerian extension of general relativity). The corresponding field equations are proved to be independent of any gauge of Clebsch potentials. The law of energy-momentum conservation of the field appears to be covariant and integrable in a rather wide class of direction-dependent Lagrangian densities.     

On the phenomenological three-graviton vertex

In General Relativity, the graviton interacts in three-graviton vertex with a tensor that is not the energy-momentum tensor of the gravitational field. We consider the possibility that the graviton interacts with the definite gravitational energy-momentum tensor that we previously found in the G ² approximation. This tensor in a gauge, where nonphysical degrees of freedom do not contribute, is remarkable, because it gives positive gravitational energy density for the Newtonian center in the same manner as the electromagnetic energy-momentum tensor does for the Coulomb center. We show that the assumed three-graviton vertex does not lead to contradiction with the precession of Mercury’s perihelion. In the S-matrix approach used here, the external gravitational field has only a subsidiary role, similar to the external field in quantum electrodynamics. This approach with the assumed vertex leads to the gravitational field that cannot be obtained from a consistent gravity equation.     

Gravitational anomalies

The effective action for fermions moving in external gravitational and gauge fields is analyzed in terms of the corresponding external field propagator. The central object in our approach is the covariant energy-momentum tensor which is extracted from the regular part of the propagator at short distances. It is shown that the Lorentz anomaly, the conformal anomaly and the gauge anomaly can be expressed in terms of the local polynomials which determine the singular part of the propagator. (There are no coordinate anomalies.) Except for the conformal anomaly, for which we give explicit representations only ind<=4, we consider an arbitrary number of dimensions.     

A YANG–MILLS ELECTRODYNAMICS THEORY ON THE HOLOMORPHIC TANGENT BUNDLE

Considering a complex Lagrange space ([24]), in this paper the complex electromagnetic tensor fields are defined as the sum between the differential of the complex Liouville 1-form and the symplectic 2-form of the space relative to the adapted frames of the Chern–Lagrange complex nonlinear connection. In particular, an electrodynamics theory on a complex Finsler space is obtained.

We show that our definition of the complex electrodynamics tensors has physical meaning and these tensors generate an adequate field theory which offers the opportunity of coupling with the gravitation. The generalized complex Maxwell equations are written.

A gauge field theory of electrodynamics on the holomorphic tangent bundle is put over T′M and the gauge invariance to phase transformations is studied. An extension of the Dirac Lagrangian on T′M coupled with the electrodynamics Lagrangian is studied and it offers the framework for a unified gauge theory of fields.     

Variational principle and limit relations in the unified theory of gravitational,electromagnetic, and scalar fields

Within the framework of a special version of unified bimetrical field theory [1], starting from the explicit form of the Lagrangian L, the principal expressions are derived: the field equations, the energy-momentum tensor, the generalized equations of electrodynamics, the conservation laws. Various limiting cases are considered. It is shown that the equations for the electromagnetic field can be obtained as a consequence of the conservation law for the energy-momentum of the unified field.     

Variational principle and energy-momentum tensor for relativistic electrodynamics of point charges

We give a new representation as tempered distribution for the energy-momentum tensor of a system of charged point-particles, which is free from divergent self-interactions, manifestly Lorentz-invariant and symmetric, and conserved. We present a covariant action for this system, that gives rise to the known Lorentz-Dirac equations for the particles and entails, via Noether theorem, this energy-momentum tensor. Our action is obtained from the standard action for classical electrodynamics, by means of a new Lorentz-invariant regularization procedure, followed by a renormalization. The method introduced here extends naturally to charged p-branes and arbitrary dimensions.     

A new view of the virasoro algebra

It is shown that the local quantum field theory of the chiral energy-momentum tensor with central chargec = 1 coincides with the gauge invariant subtheory of the chiral SU(2) current algebra at level 1, where the gauge group is the global SU(2) symmetry. At higher level, the same scheme gives rise toW-algebra extensions of the Virasoro algebra.     

Two-dimensional quantum gravity and current algebra on a torus

The euclidean generating functional of the correlation functions of the energy-momentum tensor in conformal field theory on a torus is derived. The quantization of the effective action for induced two-dimensional gravity on the torus is still related to the SU(2)×SU(2) current algebra.     

Non-abelian Gauge Symmetry for Fields in Phase Space: a Realization of the Seiberg-Witten Non-abelian Gauge Theory

The Seiberg-Witten formalism has been realized as an electrodynamics in phase space (associated to the Dirac equation written in phase space) and this fact is explored here with non-abelian gauge group. First, a physically heuristic presentation of the Seiberg-Witten approach is carried out for non-abelian gauge in order to guide the calculation procedures. These results are realized by starting with the Lagrangian density for the free Dirac field in phase space. Then a field strength is derived, where the non-abelian gauge group is the SU(2), corresponding to an isospin (non-abelian) field theory in phase space. An application to nucleon is then discussed.

     

Modified Nonlinear Model of Arcsin-Electrodynamics

A new modified model of nonlinear arcsin-electrodynamics with two parameters is proposed and analyzed. We obtain the corrections to the Coulomb law. The effect of vacuum birefringence takes place when the external constant magnetic field is present. We calculate indices of refraction for two perpendicular polarizations of electromagnetic waves and estimate bounds on the parameter γ from the BMV and PVLAS experiments. It is shown that the electric field of a point-like charge is finite at the origin. We calculate the finite static electric energy of point-like particles and demonstrate that the electron mass can have the pure electromagnetic nature. The symmetrical Belinfante energy-momentum tensor and dilatation current are found. We show that the dilatation symmetry and dual symmetry are broken in the model suggested. We have investigated the gauge covariant quantization of the nonlinear electrodynamics fields as well as the gauge fixing approach based on Dirac's brackets.     

Gauge fields and gravitational field equations

It is shown that the gravitational field equations in free space have a similar form to the free Yang-Mills field equations, where the group SL (2, C) replaces the group SU(2). The Ricci rotation coefficients take the role of the Yang-Mills like potentials, whereas the Riemann tensor takes the role of the gauge fields.     

Gauge theories with minimal subtraction and the decoupling theorem

We show explicitly, to the two-loop level, that the decoupling theorem of Appelquist and Carazzone is valid, and a consistent light effective field theory exists, for quantum electrodynamics in arbitrary α-gauges, and non-abelian gauge theory in α = 0, Landau gauge, renormalized by minimal subtraction.     

Magnetic symmetry and dyons

A self-consistent theory of dyons in Abelian and non-Abelian limits has been formulated in terms of an extra magnetic symmetry and topological magnetic charge. It has been shown that the restricted gauge potential describes the fields of dyons in terms of two regular (time-like) potentials only when recourse is made to the duality of topological (magnetic) and isocolour (electric) charges. Choosing a suitable Lagrangian density for the system of dyons in non-Abelian gauge theory, the field equations, energy-momentum tensor, Hamiltonian and momentum densities have also been derived and the conservation of the four-linear momentum and the total angular momentum has been demonstrated.     

The trace anomaly in coloured black holes

The influence of the trace anomaly of the energy-momentum tensor of gauge theories is discussed in a spherically symmetric space-time. It is found that for pure electric and magnetic fields, the point β(g) = ?g represents a phase transition from any asymptotically flat metric to an asymptotically non-flat metric which turns out to be confining in the electric case.     

On-shell and conformal N = 4 supergravity in superspace

We discuss the superspace geometries which are necessary to describe on-shell O(4) and SU(4) supergravity. The relation of central charge field strengths to physical spin-zero fields is exhibited and a “new” O(4) theory is shown to exist. The version of SU(4) supergravity which uses an antisymmetric tensor gauge field is found to require modifications of ordinary superspace. Finally the Poincaré supergeometry which admits the conformal N = 4 supermultiplet is constructed. It is shown that consistency of the Bianchi identities implies the existence of dimension zero auxiliary fields which are components of a non-linear multiplet.     

Exact theory of the (Einstein) gravitational field in an arbitrary background space-time

The Lagrangian based theory of the gravitational field and its sources at the arbitrary background space-time is developed. The equations of motion and the energy-momentum tensor of the gravitational field are derived by applying the variational principle. The gauge symmetries of the theory and the associated conservation laws are investigated. Some properties of the energymomentum tensor of the gravitational field are described in detail and the examples of its application are given. The desire to have the total energymomentum tensor as a source for the linear part of the gravitational field leads to the universal coupling of gravity with other fields (as well as to the self-interaction) and finally to the Einstein theory.     

Derivation of the Finslerian Gauge Field Equations

As is well known the simplest way of formulating the equations for the Yang-Mills gauge fields consists in taking the Lagrangian to be quadratic in the gauge tensor [1 - 5], whereas the application of such an approach to the gravitational field yields equations which are of essentially more complicated structure than the Einstein equations. On the other hand, in the gravitational field theory the Lagrangian can be constructed to be of forms which may be both quadratic and linear in the curvature tensor, whereas the latter possibility is absent in the current gauge field theories. In previous work [6] it has been shown that the Finslerian structure of the space-time gives rise to certain gauge fields provided that the internal symmetries may be regarded as symmetries of a three-dimensional Riemannian space. Continuing this work we show that appropriate equations for these gauge fields can be formulated in both ways, namely on the basis of the quadratic Lagrangian or, if a relevant generalization of the Palatini method is applied, on the basis of a Lagrangian linear in the gauge field strength tensor. The latter possibility proves to result in equations which are similar to the Einstein equations, a distinction being that the Finslerian Cartan curvature tensor rather than the Riemann curvature tensor enters the equations.     

On the energy-momentum tensor in gauge field theories

The energy-momentum tensor in spontaneously broken non-Abelian gauge field theories is studied. The motivation is to show that recent results on the finiteness and gauge independence of S-matrix elements in gauge theories extends to observable amplitudes for transitions in a gravitational field. Path integral methods and dimensional regularization are used throughout. Green's functions Γ_μν^(j)(q; p₁,…,p_j) involving the energy-momentum tensor and j particle fields are proved finite to all orders in perturbation theory to zero and first order in q, and finite to one loop order for general q. Amputated Green's functions of the energy momentum tensor are proved to be gauge independent on mass shell.