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    Commutator

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    plotus4
    The Lie bracket of two vector fields X and Y is defined as [X,Y] = XY - YX. It measures the commutator or failure of X and Y to commute. The Lie bracket is itself a vector field. Some key properties of the Lie bracket are that it is anti-symmetric ([X,Y] = -[Y,X]), bilinear, and satisfies the Jacobi identity. An example computation in local coordinates is provided.

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    Commutator

    Uploaded by

    plotus4
    24 views2 pages
    The Lie bracket of two vector fields X and Y is defined as [X,Y] = XY - YX. It measures the commutator or failure of X and Y to commute. The Lie bracket is itself a vector field. Some key properties of the Lie bracket are that it is anti-symmetric ([X,Y] = -[Y,X]), bilinear, and satisfies the Jacobi identity. An example computation in local coordinates is provided.

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    The Lie bracket of two vector fields X and Y is defined as [X,Y] = XY - YX. It measures the commutator or failure of X and Y to commute. The Lie bracket is itself a vector field. Some key properties of the Lie bracket are that it is anti-symmetric ([X,Y] = -[Y,X]), bilinear, and satisfies the Jacobi identity. An example computation in local coordinates is provided.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    24 views2 pages

    Commutator

    Uploaded by

    plotus4
    The Lie bracket of two vector fields X and Y is defined as [X,Y] = XY - YX. It measures the commutator or failure of X and Y to commute. The Lie bracket is itself a vector field. Some key properties of the Lie bracket are that it is anti-symmetric ([X,Y] = -[Y,X]), bilinear, and satisfies the Jacobi identity. An example computation in local coordinates is provided.

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    Lie Bracket of two vector fields

    1. The definition of a Lie bracket.


    Let M be an n-manifold. Recall that if X and Y are smooth vector fields
    on M then X and Y are 1-st order differential operators on smooth functions
    M → R. Thus, for a smooth function f : M → R, Xf and Y f are again
    smooth functions M → R.
    We now define a differential operator [X, Y ], called the Lie bracket or the
    commutator of X and Y as
    [X, Y ] := XY − Y X,
    that is, for a smooth function f : M → R,
    [X, Y ](f ) := X(Y f ) = Y (Xf ).
    By its definition, [X, Y ] is a 2-nd order differential operator. However, by
    a kind of a miracle, it turns out that [X, Y ] is actually a 1-st order differential
    operator and, in fact, a vector field:
    Theorem 1. For any smooth vector fields X and Y on an n-manifold
    M , the Lie bracket [X, Y ] is again a smooth vector field on M .
    We will not give a detailed proof of Theorem 1 but instead will only verify
    that Theorem 1 holds for the basic vector fields.
    Let φ = (x1 , . . . , xn ) : U → Rn be a coordinate patch on M . Let X =
    ∂ n ∂
    a(x1 , . . . , xn ) ∂x 1
    i and Y = b(x , . . . , x ) ∂xj for some 1 ≤ i, j ≤ n and for

    some smooth functions a = a(x , . . . , xn ) and b = b(x1 , . . . , xn ).


    1

    Let f : M → R be a smooth function. We now compute [X, Y ](f ). By


    definition:
    ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂f ∂ ∂
    [X, Y ](f ) = [a i , b j ]f = a i (b j ) − b j (a i ) =
    ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x
    using the product rule
    ∂b ∂f ∂2f ∂a ∂f ∂2f
    a + ab − b − ba =
    ∂xi ∂xj ∂xi ∂xj ∂xj ∂xi ∂xj ∂xi
    ∂b ∂f ∂a ∂f ∂b ∂ ∂a ∂
    a i j − b j i = (a i j − b j i )f
    ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x
    Therefore
    ∂ ∂ ∂b ∂ ∂a ∂
    (†) [X, Y ] = [a i
    ,b j] = a i j − b j i.
    ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x
    ∂b ∂a
    Note that if a = b ≡ 1 then ∂xi = ∂xj = 0. Therefore
    ∂ ∂
    , ] = 0.
    ∂xi ∂xj
    2. General properties of the Lie bracket
    We have:
    (1) [X, Y ] = −[Y, X].
    (2) [X1 + X2 , Y ] = [X1 , Y ] + [X2 , Y ] and [X, Y1 + Y2 ] = [X, Y1 ] + [X, Y2 ].
    1
    2

    (3) For any smooth functions a, b : M → R


    [aX, bY ] = ab[X, Y ] + a(Xb)Y − b(Y a)X.
    (4) [“Jacobi Identity”]
    [[X, Y ], Z] + [[Y, Z], X] + [[Z, X], Y ] = 0.
    Note that usingP property (2) above together with formula (†), it is not
    n ∂ Pn
    hard to compute [ i=1 ai (x) ∂xi , j=1 bj (x) ∂x∂ j ] in a coordinate chart φ =
    (x1 , . . . , xn ) : U → Rn on M :

    n n
    X
    i ∂ X j ∂ XX ∂ ∂
    [ a (x) i , b (x) j ] = [ai (x) i , bj (x) j ] =
    ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x
    i=1 j=1 i j
    XX ∂bj ∂ i
    j ∂a ∂
    (‡) ai − b
    ∂xi ∂xj ∂xj ∂xi
    i j

    However, as a practical matter, it is better to remember formula (†) to-


    gether with properties (1),(2),(3),(4) above, rather than to try to memorize
    formula (‡).
    ∂
    Example. Let M = R3 with coordinates (x, y, z) and let X = 2xz ∂x +
    yz ∂ 2 2 2 ∂ ∂
    e ∂y and Y = (x + y + z ) ∂x + 5 ∂z .
    We want to compute [X, Y ]. We have
    [X, Y ] =
    ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂
    [2xz , (x2 + y 2 + z 2 ) ] + [2xz , 5 ] + [eyz , (x2 + y 2 + z 2 ) ] + [eyz , 5 ].
    ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂z ∂y ∂x ∂y ∂z
    Using (‡), we get
    ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂
    [2xz , (x2 + y 2 + z 2 ) ] = 2xz2x − (x2 + y 2 + z 2 )2z =
    ∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x
    ∂
    (2x2 z − 2y 2 z − 2z 3 ) ,
    ∂x
    and
    ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂
    [2xz , 5 ] = 0 − 10x = −10x ,
    ∂x ∂z ∂x ∂x
    and
    ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂
    [eyz , (x2 + y 2 + z 2 ) ] = eyz 2y − (x2 + y 2 + z 2 ) · 0 = eyz 2y ,
    ∂y ∂x ∂x ∂y ∂x
    and
    ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂
    [eyz , 5 ] = eyz · 0 − 5yeyz = −5yeyz .
    ∂y ∂z ∂z ∂y ∂y
    Therefore
     ∂ ∂
    [X, Y ] = 2x2 z − 2y 2 z − 2z 3 − 10x + 2yeyz − 5yeyz .
    ∂x ∂y

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