Stress-Energy-Momentum Tensors in Lagrangian Field Theory. Part 2. Gravitational Superpotential

Abstract

Our investigation of differential conservation laws in Lagrangian field theory is based on the first variational formula which provides the canonical decomposition of the Lie derivative of a Lagrangian density by a projectable vector field on a bundle (Part 1: gr-qc/9510061). If a Lagrangian density is invariant under a certain class of bundle isomorphisms, its Lie derivative by the associated vector fields vanishes and the corresponding differential conservation laws take place. If these vector fields depend on derivatives of parameters of bundle transformations, the conserved current reduces to a superpotential. This Part of the work is devoted to gravitational superpotentials. The invariance of a gravitational Lagrangian density under general covariant transformations leads to the stress-energy-momentum conservation law where the energy-momentum flow of gravity reduces to the corresponding generalized Komar superpotential. The associated energy-momentum (pseudo) tensor can be defined and calculated on solutions of metric and affine-metric gravitational models.