Variational formulation of Chern–Simons theory for arbitrary Lie groups

Abstract

We show that the Chern–Simons theory for a principal G-bundle P over a three-dimensional manifold, with G an arbitrary Lie group, can be formulated as a variational problem defined by local data on the bundle of connections C(P) of P. By means of the theory of variational problems defined by local data we prove that the Euler–Lagrange operator and the differential of the Poincaré–Cartan form can be intrinsically expressed in terms of the symplectic form and the curvature morphism of C(P). These facts and the theory of the global inverse problem of the Calculus of Variations allow us to prove that there is indeed a global Lagrangian density for these theories. We also prove that every infinitesimal automorphism of P produces in a natural way an infinitesimal symmetry of the variational problem defined by the Chern–Simons theory. We therefore conclude that the algebra of infinitesimal symmetries of these theories is infinite dimensional.