Symmetries and hidden symmetries of Maxwell theory

20.04.2017, 14:15 Uhr  –  Haus 9, Raum 0.14
Seminar Geometry and Physics

Lars Andersson

Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism is a relativistic field theory on Minkowski space, and is symmetric under the 10-dimensional Poincare group of isometries of Minkowski space. However, it admits further, less obvious symmetries, including the 15-dimensional conformal group, the Heaviside-Larmor-Rainich symmetry, as well as hidden symmetries associated with the 20-dimensional space of conformal Killing-Yano 2-tensors on Minkowski space. I will give some background to these facts and discuss their relation to conservation laws for the Maxwell field.