Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / iii / Paper 301 / 1 / Solution

A continuous symmetry is a family of transformations depending continuously on parameters for which the action is unchanged, possibly up to a spacetime boundary term. For an infinitesimal field variation $\delta \varphi =ϵ\Delta \varphi$, a Noether current $j^{\mu }$ obeyswhen the Euler-Lagrange field equation holds. Its Noether chargeis conserved provided the flux ${\int }_{S_{\infty }}{j}^i{n}_{i}dS$ vanishes.

Noether theorem gives the implication from a differentiable global variational symmetry to an on-shell conserved current. A conserved current gives a conserved charge only under suitable boundary and convergence conditions. Conversely, a conserved charge generates a continuous symmetry through Poisson brackets classically or a commutator quantum mechanically when a regular Hamiltonian formulation exists. Currents can be changed by identically conserved improvement terms, and inverse Noether statements require regularity and the exclusion of such trivial currents, so the three notions are related but not literally in one-to-one correspondence.

For spacetime translations, the canonical stress-energy tensor isForraising the second index gives the symmetric tensorTranslation invariance gives four conserved currents $T^{\mu \nu }$, one for each fixed $\nu$, and the four conserved charges are the four-momentum$P^0$ is the energy and $\mathbf{P}$ is the spatial momentum.

The Lorentz transformation variation of a scalar is generated solely by its argument. The corresponding Lorentz current isUsing ${\partial }_{\mu }{T}^{\mu \nu }=0$ and symmetry of $T^{\rho \sigma }$,In particular, conservation of the boost chargeimpliesThe quantity denoted $V^i$ in the question is therefore the conserved momentum component $P^i$, assuming the same vanishing boundary flux.