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Tut 11

The document discusses symmetry in vector fields and tensor fields. It provides examples of using pullbacks and pushforwards to analyze how geometric objects transform under smooth maps between manifolds. It also uses Lie derivatives to investigate whether vector fields generate symmetries of metric tensor fields by looking at how the metric transforms along integral curves of the vector fields.

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NV
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39 views

Tut 11

The document discusses symmetry in vector fields and tensor fields. It provides examples of using pullbacks and pushforwards to analyze how geometric objects transform under smooth maps between manifolds. It also uses Lie derivatives to investigate whether vector fields generate symmetries of metric tensor fields by looking at how the metric transforms along integral curves of the vector fields.

Uploaded by

NV
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Symmetry

Exercise 1: True or false?


These basic questions are designed to spark discussion and as a self-test.

Tick the correct statements, but not the incorrect ones!

a) Which statements about push-forward and pull-back are correct?


O The push-forward maps a vector field to a vector field.
O The pull-back of a covector yields a covector.
O One can induce a metric on a smoothly embedded manifold by pulling the metric back from
the ambient manifold.
O Push-forward and pull-back are linear maps.
O The push-forward is a (1, 1)-tensor.
O One can only pull back a (1, 1)-tensor along a bijective map.

b) Which statements are correct?


O A Lie subalgebra L ⊂ Γ(T M ) is a symmetry of a metric tensor field g if the pull-back of g
along the flow of any element of L reproduces g.
O The Lie derivative of a vector field Y with respect to a vector field X is the commutator
[X, Y ].
O A Lie subalgebra L ⊂ Γ(T M ) is a symmetry of a metric tensor field g if the Lie derivative
of g with respect to every X ∈ L vanishes.
O The Lie derivative acts on a function as the covariant derivative does.
Symmetry

Exercise 2: Pull-back and push-forward


Formulae for practical men and women.

Question: Consider a smooth map φ : M → N between two differentiable manifolds. Show that for
a function f ∈ C ∞ (N ), the pull-back of the gradient of f is the same as the gradient of the pull-back
of f , i.e.
φ∗ (df ) = d(φ∗ f ).

Solution: a

∼
Question: The push-forward φ∗ : T M −→ T N is a linear map between tangent bundles. Calculate
its component functions
∂
φ∗ ab := (dy a )(φ∗ ( b ))
∂x
with respect to charts (U ⊂ M, x) and (V ⊂ N, y)!

Solution: a

Question: Show that the component functions of the pull back φ∗ g of a metric tensor field are
obtained from the component functions of g by

∂(y ◦ φ)m ∂(y ◦ φ)n


   
∗
(φ g)ab (p) = gmn (φ(p)).
∂xa p ∂xb p

Solution:
Symmetry

Exercise 3: Lie derivative—the pedestrian way


The Lie derivative as a tool for investigating symmetries.

Question: Consider the smooth embedding ι : S 2 → R3 of (S 2 , O, A) into (R3 , Ost , B), which for the
familiar spherical chart (U, x) ∈ A and (R3 , y = idR3 ) ∈ B is given by

y ◦ ι ◦ x−1 : (ϑ, ϕ) 7→ (a cos ϕ sin ϑ, b sin ϕ sin ϑ, c cos ϑ),

where a, b and c are positive real numbers. What can you say about the shape of ι(S 2 )?

Solution: a

Question: Now assume that (R3 , Ost , B) is additionally equipped with the Euclidean metric g, whose
component functions with respect to the chart (R3 , y) are given by
 
1 0 0
gab (p) = 0 1 0 for any p ∈ U.
 
0 0 1 ab

Write down the component functions of g ellipsoid := ι∗ g with respect to the chart (U, x)!

Solution:
Question: For convenience, denote by (ϑ, ϕ) the coordinate functions (x1 , x2 ). Check that the vector
fields
∂ ∂
   
X1 (p) = − sin ϕ(p) − cot ϑ(p) cos ϕ(p)
∂ϑ p ∂ϕ p
∂ ∂
   
X2 (p) = cos ϕ(p) − cot ϑ(p) sin ϕ(p)
∂ϑ p ∂ϕ p
∂
 
X3 (p) =
∂ϕ p

constitute a Lie subalgebra of (Γ(T S 2 ), [·, ·]) and determine its structure constants!

Solution: a

Question: Calculate the integral curve of X3 through the point p = x−1 (ϑ0 , ϕ0 ), i.e. the curve γp
satisfying
γp (0) = p and vγp ,γp (λ) = (X3 )γp (λ)
in the chart (U, x)!

Solution: a

Question: The integral curves γp give rise to a one-parameter family of smooth maps hX 2 2
λ : S →S .
3

Calculate the pull-back


3 ∗ ellipsoid
(hX
λ ) g

of the metric on S 2 . What can you conclude for the Lie derivative LX3 g ?

Solution:

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