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Suppose $V$ is a Killing vector field, $F$ is an electromagnetic field tensor satisfying $dF=0$ and ${\mathcal{L}}_{V}F=0$, and a particle of nonzero mass $m$ obeys the Lorentz force equation ${\nabla }_{u}u=(q/m)F^a{}_b{u}^b$. Cartan's magic formula gives $d({\iota }_{V}F)=0$, so the local potential of a closed differential one-form proof gives $d\Phi ={\iota }_{V}F$ locally. The Killing equation eliminates $u^a{u}^b{\nabla }_a{V}_b$, and the force term gives $d(V\cdot u)/d\tau =(q/m)d\Phi /d\tau$. Therefore $mV\cdot u-q\Phi$ is locally conserved. The sign assumes contraction in the first argument of $F$. A global potential additionally requires the closed one-form to have zero periods; invariance alone is insufficient without the homogeneous Maxwell equations.

An electromagnetic field tensor obeys the homogeneous Maxwell equations $dF=0$. Together with its invariance under the Killing vector field $V$, Cartan's magic formula gives $d({\iota }_{V}F)={\mathcal{L}}_{V}F-{\iota }_{V}dF=0$. The local potential of a closed differential one-form construction, the one-form Poincare lemma, therefore supplies a scalar field $\Phi$ on a sufficiently small contractible neighborhood withFor an explicit local proof, write ${\iota }_{V}F={\alpha }_i(x)d{x}^i$ on a coordinate ball centered at zero and take $\Phi (x)={\int }_0^1{x}^i{\alpha }_i(sx)ds$. Since $d\alpha =0$, differentiating under the integral gives ${\partial }_j\Phi ={\int }_0^1[{\alpha }_j(sx)+s{x}^i{\partial }_i{\alpha }_j(sx)]ds={\alpha }_j(x)$. There need not be a global potential when this closed one-form has nonzero periods. The homogeneous Maxwell equation is essential; an arbitrary invariant two-form would not suffice.

Use proper time for the massive particle, let $u$ be its tangent, and assume $m\ne 0$. The Killing equation makes $u^a{u}^b{\nabla }_a{V}_b=0$. The Lorentz force equation then impliesConsequently the local conserved quantity isThe sign follows from contracting $F$ in its first argument, exactly as in the source. Adding a constant to $\Phi$ merely shifts the conserved quantity. This is a charged-particle conserved quantity from a Killing symmetry.

Every smooth closed differential form of positive degree is locally an exact differential form. On a coordinate ball centered at zero, put $F_t(x)=tx$ and let $R=x^i{\partial }_i$ be the radial vector field. Define the degree-lowering operatorFor a $p$-form with $p>0$, the integrand has a factor $t^{p-1}$ in its coordinate coefficients and is smooth at zero. Cartan's magic formula and differentiation of the pullback of a differential form give ${\partial }_t(F_t^{\ast }\alpha )=t^{-1}{F}_t^{\ast }(d{\iota }_R\alpha +{\iota }_{R}d\alpha )$. Integrating from zero to one gives $dK\alpha +Kd\alpha =\alpha$, since $F_0^{\ast }\alpha =0$ in positive degree. If $d\alpha =0$, take $\beta =K\alpha$. The local potential of a closed differential one-form gives the explicit degree-one construction. Global exactness can fail through nonzero periods, measured by de Rham cohomology.