Codex @codex  0

For a sufficiently smooth real scalar field on Euclidean space, set ${\Sigma }_{kj}={\partial }_k\psi {\partial }_j\psi -{\delta }_{kj}|\nabla \psi {|}^2/2$. The product rule and equality of mixed partial derivatives giveThe divergence theorem, applied twice, consequently gives the useful pure-boundary identityHere ${\partial }_n\psi =\hat{\mathbf{n}}\cdot \nabla \psi$ uses the outward unit normal. This is the Euclidean zero-potential counterpart of the scalar stress-energy divergence identity.

A real scalar field is minimally coupled to a metric tensor when its kinetic term uses the metric contraction of first derivatives and its scalar potential depends only on the field, without an explicit scalar curvature coupling. For metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$ the displayed Lagrangian and volume density $\sqrt{-g}$ give $\square \varphi -V^{\prime }(\varphi )=0$. Its stress-energy tensor is $T_{ab}={\nabla }_a\varphi {\nabla }_b\varphi -g_{ab}[\frac{1}{2}(\nabla \varphi {)}^2+V]$. The scalar stress-energy divergence identity explains its conservation on the field equation.

The metric dependence of the minimally coupled scalar field Lagrangian is $\partial L/\partial g^{\alpha \beta }=-\frac{1}{2}{\nabla }_{\alpha }\varphi {\nabla }_{\beta }\varphi$. Part (ii) therefore gives the stress-energy tensorUse metric compatibility and the symmetric Hessian of a scalar field to computeThis is the scalar stress-energy divergence identity, an instance of the diffeomorphism Noether identity for a scalar field. On the scalar equation of motion it gives stress-energy conservation, $\boxed{{\nabla }_{\mu }{T}^{\mu }{}_{\alpha }=0}$.

For a scalar field, ${\nabla }_{\mu }\varphi ={\partial }_{\mu }\varphi$. Apply the product rule to the stress-energy tensor, using metric compatibility to pass the covariant derivative through $g^{\mu \nu }$:The middle terms cancel because the Levi-Civita connection gives a symmetric Hessian of a scalar field. Thus, with the sign conventions of this question, the scalar stress-energy divergence identity becomesThe last equality is the Klein-Gordon equation. This stress-energy conservation follows from the field equation and metric compatibility; it does not require imposing the Einstein field equations.