Non-relativistic conformal symmetries in fluid mechanics

Abstract

The symmetries of a free incompressible fluid span the Galilei group, augmented with independent dilations of space and time. When the fluid is compressible, the symmetry is enlarged to the expanded Schroedinger group, which also involves, in addition, Schroedinger expansions. While incompressible fluid dynamics can be derived as an appropriate non-relativistic limit of a conformally-invariant relativistic theory, the recently discussed Conformal Galilei group, obtained by contraction from the relativistic conformal group, is not a symmetry. This is explained by the subtleties of the non-relativistic limit.