Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/iii/paper-49/3/b/ii/solution

The pure gravitational action is invariant under diffeomorphisms. An infinitesimal diffeomorphism generated by a compactly supported vector field changes the metric by its tensor Lie derivative,
Using symmetry of and the variational expression already derived,
As is arbitrary, the off-shell metric divergence identity is
This Noether identity follows for every metric tensor without imposing either the gravitational field equation or the matter equations. It is a consequence of the metric action's diffeomorphism invariance, not a conclusion requiring a long component calculation.

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