Faculté Master in Physics

des Sciences
FunPhys program, 2023-2024

Gauge Theories – Exercise sheet-III

1. Lie bracket of vector fields.

Show that the bracket of vector fields [X, Y ] fulfills the Jacobi identity ∮ [X, [Y, Z]] = 0, where
∮ stands for the summation over the cyclic permutations of the three vector fields X, Y, Z.

2. Pull-back.

Take two manifolds M and N , and Φ ∶ M Ð→ N a diffeormorphism. The pull-back of a function

(0-form) g ∈ C ∞ (N ) is the function Φ∗ g = g ○ Φ ∈ C ∞ (M ). Show that (Φ∗ )−1 = (Φ−1 )∗ .
[Hint: Show that Φ∗ ○ (Φ−1 )∗ = Id C ∞ (M ) and (Φ−1 )∗ ○ Φ∗ = Id C ∞ (N ) and conclude.]

3. Diffeomorphism and push-forward of vector fields.

Consider M = R2 ∖ {y = 0} as a manifold endowed with local coordinates (x, y), and the smooth
diffeomorphism φ ∶ M → M defined by Φ(x, y) = (xy, y). Let X and Y be the two smooth
vector fields respectively defined in local coordinates by
∂ ∂ ∂
X∣(x,y) = xy + x2 , Y∣(x,y) = 3y .
∂x ∂y ∂y
1. Visual: Draw M and find the image by Φ of the submanifold I defined by y = 1. Draw I.
Draw the submanifold Lλ of M defined by x = λ and find its image under Φ. Draw Φ(Lλ ).
Which point of Lλ is inert under Φ?
2. Compute the inverse diffeomorphism Φ−1 .
3. Compute in the natural frame { ∂x
∂ ∂
, ∂y } the matrix of the tangent linear map T∣(x,y) Φ.

4. Compute the local expression of the vector field [X, Y ].

5. Compute the local expressions of the vector fields Φ∗ (X) and Φ∗ (Y ).
Hint: Φ∗ (X)∣(x,y) = (T∣Φ−1 (x,y) Φ) ⋅ X∣Φ−1 (x,y) .

6. Compute [Φ∗ (X), Φ∗ (Y )], on the one hand, and Φ∗ ([X, Y ]) on the other hand.
7. Compare the two results. What can you say about Φ∗ with respect to the Lie algebra
structure of Vect(M )?

4. Exterior product.

Consider the 2-form on R4 given by F = 12 Fµν dxµ ∧ dxν = 21 εijk B k dxi ∧ dxj + Ek dxk ∧ dt, where
Ek = −δkℓ E ℓ with E⃗ = (E ℓ ) the electric field and B
⃗ = (B k ) the magnetic field.

1. Give the skew-symmetric covariant tensor (Fµν ) of order 2.

⃗ B⟩
2. Show that F ∧ F = 2 ⟨E, ⃗ 3 vol, where vol = dt ∧ dx1 ∧ dx2 ∧ dx3 is the canonical volume
R
form on R and ⟨ , ⟩R3 the standard Euclidean scalar product on R3 .
4