Symmetries and Noether's theorem

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For every
continuous symmetry

of a physical theory there

exists a

90
conserved quantity

Conserved
symmetries 5 0
Quantities

Conserved quantity A physical quantity constructed

from the basic physical degrees of freedom

get
and their derivatives which does not change
 during the time evolution of the system
8
A thing is symmetrical if there is
somethingwecandoto il so that
after have done it it looks
we

the same as it did before

q
Transformations Hermann Wey l invariance
under
transformations
Discrete symmetries

0 600

Rotation by 600
Reflexion

Continuous symmetries

transformations can be
f Made continuously
continuous parameter
g0

Transf can be decomposed

infinitesimal
transformations
into tiny transformations
 We say physical laws or equations of motion
e
g Euler Lagrange equations

sn a l.o
are symmetric or invariant under a certain

transformation if we can transform the

functions 9i t GH trajectories in
i

some way

get 9TH

9 HI Fet
and the equations remain the same

Examples of these transformations

Time translation g t 9 t T
Add constant g t 9 t t 90
translation
Since transformations are continuous we can

do infinitesimal transformations

q t get Sq

Sq small or infinitesimal Sq E
Ag
C 621

but here 89 is not completely arbitrary

e
g for an infinitesimal time translation St

9ft get Stl s 9ft 8t

DI St
so
Sg dt

our infinitesimal parameter is C Sf Kl

A transformation 9 t Get
gets g HI
leaving equations of motion invariant
also means that the transformed trajectories

Titi Titi
are also physical solutions to the equations

of motion

e
g If Euler Lagrange are invariant under

time translations 9ft 9 t T

g t 17 is a physical solution if 9 t is

The results of an experiment will be

the same if we perform it today or any
other day

Most fundamental symmetries of fundamental

physical laws actually come from the symmetries
of space and time itself i time and spatial
translations rotations homogeneity of time
and space isotropy of space but there
are more o
 SF orthogonal
to planedefined

171 sin of by F and SF

1881 length of arc
subtended by

ISFlstrisin 450
Almost
General proof of Noether's theorem mechanics

Let our theory be defined by a certain action

S Ligeti 9 that
is I n h h degs of freedom

If the infinitesimal transformation

9ft g HI 89

is a symmetry of our theory it leaves the

Euler Lagrange egs of motion invariant

34g Ftl3 1 0
id n
 This is ensured if the action itself is

invariant under the transformations

re call E Legs are equivalent to 85 00

More generally we can allow the action to

change by a total derivative term since

the presence of such term would not affect

the derivation of the E L equations

homework problem

That is the Lagrangian L must be

invariant under the transformation

quo get Sq ft up to a total

derivative

L I L DI
dt
 for some function F 9 t

Again i In the homework you will prove

that E gives the same equations as

6 for any F

On the other hand if we compute the

variation 8L due to the variations 89

SL
L f 89
Fa sa

Recall variations of functionals behave like

differentials homework

SL 3
is I I 3 89 Fg It 89

2 134,59 134,89 134,189

 EI 3 sail 134 THE.gl s9if
O by
FI 2 89 Euler Lagrange
equations

The general infinitesimal transformation with

a single infinitesimal parameter is

9 E 49

with E ee l and functions 49

ie there may be more than 1 infinitesimal parameter

defines an
each parameter C independentsymmetry
For example for time translations there is only
one infinitesimal parameter C Sf
For spatial translations there are three

E Ski Ez Sx C3 8 3
 L L SL

with SL 124
29
Eda
i I

e
4 834 1 1
49

From our previous observation this may be

allowed to be a total derivative

SL F

and F 9 t must be infinitesimal and

depend on the infinitesimal parameter E

F E F
 SL EF

E DI
dt

Equating the two expressions for SL

Ftl 34 49 E
dat

IT III 3 49 F D

That is the quantity

Q i si
2 49 F
 is a conserved quantity corresponding
the infinitesimal
to symmetry defined by the
transformation

89 C 49,9

pp
QED

If this proof seems to general and confusing

just specialize it to the previous cases

Time translations

S9 DI St
dt

i e E St 49 d9i 9
dt
 Repeat the proof with this E and 49

and you will see

The Lagrangian is a scalar so it must

transform as

L Lit Stl
L DI St
dt

So in this case

F Lst

i e F L_

and the conserved quantity is of course

the energy

Q F
31 49
IE 2
ai k

2K L homework

2K K U

K U
w

E U

For space translations we have 3

symmetries take e g translations in the

Xp direction and one

particle
 9,92193 X Xz Xs

Sx 40 8 2 0 8 3 0

i e E SX

49 I 492 49 D

A homogeneous Lagrangian is unaffected

by a translation so

and F F D

So the conserved quantity is

Qe 31 49 F
 2
E axi o

21
2

The component in the X direction of

momentum F I
and similarly for the other two directions

The cool thing about this proof of Noether's

theorem is that it generalizes

directly to field theory

 Field theory

Infinite degrees of freedom e g

Height of a rope 1 dim waves

b exit

A x

At each position there is a degree of

freedom

9 ft g x t y at
 Electric and magnetic fields

At each point in
space I x y 2

there are 3 degs of freedom for

electric field

9 11 1 915,4 Etr f Efx y z t

and 3 for magnetic field

Lagrangian densities and action

Rope L y
2
3

S f L dx Dt

T double integral i

time and space non relativistic

Electromagnetism

LIES Frizzes
L di di
S f
f quadruple integral
space time integral
relativistic

Standard model of
particle physics quantum

Fancy solid state and statistical

mechanics