Lagrangian Formalism – How to Relate the Functional Derivative to Infinitesimal Change in Noether’s Theorem

differential-geometryfield-theoryfunctional-derivativeslagrangian-formalismvariational-calculus

When the Euler-Lagrange equation or the expression for Noether current are derived the term infinitesimal change is often used. For example, we write $\phi\rightarrow \phi + \delta\phi$ and say that $\delta\phi$ is an infinitesimal change in the field.

I have recently been introduced to the functional derivative, which made me think that I could now throw the notion of infinitesimal change away, and find the Euler-Lagrange equation and the expression for the Noether current "more rigorously" using the functional derivative. However, I have not been able to find a proof for for the Euler-Lagrange equation/Noether current without some mentioning of `infinitesimal change'. Is this possible?

The proof for Noether's current on Wikipedia (under Field-theoretic derivation) states something like:

\begin{align*}
0 &\overset{!}{=} \delta S = \int d^4 x \left(\frac{\partial \mathcal{L}}{\partial\phi}\delta\phi +
\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\delta\partial_{\mu}\phi +
\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial x^{\mu}}\delta x^{\mu}\right) \\
&= \int d^4x \left(\frac{\partial \mathcal{L}}{\partial\phi}\delta\phi +
\partial_{\mu}\left(\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)} \delta\phi\right) –
\partial_{\mu}\left(\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\right)\delta\phi +
\partial_{\mu}\mathcal{L}\delta x^{\mu}\right) \\
&=\int d^4 x \underbrace{\left(\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial\phi} –
\partial_{\mu}\left(\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\right)\right) \delta\phi}_{\text{Euler-Lagrange eq.}} +
\partial_{\mu}\left(\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\delta\phi + \mathcal{L}\delta x^{\mu}\right),
\end{align*}

where the second term is argued to vanish since it is a total derivative and by Stoke's Theorem. This second term is the Noether's current:
\begin{align}
j^{\mu} = \frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\delta\phi + \mathcal{L}\delta x^{\mu}. \tag*{(1)}
\end{align}

But I find myself confused as to how to interpret $\delta\phi$ and $\mathcal{L}\delta x^{\mu}$. What is $\delta x^{\mu}$? – Without saying it is an infinitesimal change in $x^{\mu}$. Usually, the Noether current is expressed like
\begin{align}
j^{\mu} = \frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\Delta\phi + J^{\mu}, \tag*{(2)}
\end{align}

where $\Delta\phi$ would be the infinitesimal change in $\phi\rightarrow \phi + \Delta\phi$ and $J^{\mu}$ an arbitrary surface term. How can I go from (1) to (2), while avoiding saying that $\delta f$ is something infinitesimal?

Best Answer

One way to do a calculation similar to OP's without a notion of infinitesimal is to consider a one-parameter deformation of the field $\phi^\epsilon$ (with $\phi = \phi^0$) and define $\delta$ to mean the derivative with respect to $\epsilon$, evaluated at $\epsilon = 0$, eg $\delta S = \frac{\text d}{\text d\epsilon} S[\phi^\epsilon]\Big|_{\epsilon= 0}$. Then, the calculation unfolds (without the $\delta x^\mu$) : \begin{align} \delta S &= \int \text d^4 x \delta \mathcal L \\ & = \int d^4 x \left(\frac{\partial \mathcal{L}}{\partial\phi}\delta\phi + \frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\delta\partial_{\mu}\phi\right) \\ & = \int d^4 x \left(\frac{\partial \mathcal{L}}{\partial\phi}\delta\phi + \frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\partial_{\mu}\delta\phi\right) \\ &= \int d^4x \left(\frac{\partial \mathcal{L}}{\partial\phi}\delta\phi + \partial_{\mu}\left(\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)} \delta\phi\right) - \partial_{\mu}\left(\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\right)\delta\phi \right) \\ &=\int d^4 x \underbrace{\left(\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial\phi} - \partial_{\mu}\left(\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\right)\right) \delta\phi}_{\text{Euler-Lagrange eq.}} + \partial_{\mu}\left(\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\delta\phi \right) \end{align}

The second line follows from the first by interchanging the derivative with respect to $\epsilon$ and the integral, the fourth follows from the third by interchanging the derivatives with respect to $\epsilon$ and $x^\mu$.

If the deformation under consideration is a symmetry, then $\delta \mathcal L = \partial_\mu K^\mu$ so that the action is only changed by boundary terms. We find that for fields $\phi$ satisfying the Euler-Lagrange equation, the current $j^\mu = \frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial(\partial_{\mu}\phi)}\delta\phi - K^\mu$ is conserved.

The presence of the $\delta x^\mu$ in some derivations and not others is, I believe, the result of the different choices between passive and active transformations. In principle, one could also consider, simultaneous to the deformation of $\phi$ a one parameter family of change of variables $x\mapsto x^\epsilon$ and the define the variation $\delta$ as before. I am unsure how to make this work properly though.

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