# nLab Killing tensor

Contents

### Context

#### Riemannian geometry

Riemannian geometry

## Applications

#### Differential geometry

synthetic differential geometry

Introductions

from point-set topology to differentiable manifolds

Differentials

V-manifolds

smooth space

Tangency

The magic algebraic facts

Theorems

Axiomatics

cohesion

tangent cohesion

differential cohesion

$\array{ && id &\dashv& id \\ && \vee && \vee \\ &\stackrel{fermionic}{}& \rightrightarrows &\dashv& \rightsquigarrow & \stackrel{bosonic}{} \\ && \bot && \bot \\ &\stackrel{bosonic}{} & \rightsquigarrow &\dashv& \mathrm{R}\!\!\mathrm{h} & \stackrel{rheonomic}{} \\ && \vee && \vee \\ &\stackrel{reduced}{} & \Re &\dashv& \Im & \stackrel{infinitesimal}{} \\ && \bot && \bot \\ &\stackrel{infinitesimal}{}& \Im &\dashv& \& & \stackrel{\text{étale}}{} \\ && \vee && \vee \\ &\stackrel{cohesive}{}& ʃ &\dashv& \flat & \stackrel{discrete}{} \\ && \bot && \bot \\ &\stackrel{discrete}{}& \flat &\dashv& \sharp & \stackrel{continuous}{} \\ && \vee && \vee \\ && \emptyset &\dashv& \ast }$

Models

Lie theory, ∞-Lie theory

differential equations, variational calculus

Chern-Weil theory, ∞-Chern-Weil theory

Cartan geometry (super, higher)

# Contents

## Definition

For $(X,g)$ a (pseudo-)Riemannian manifold a Killing tensor is a section of a symmetric power of the tangent bundle

$K \in Sym^k \Gamma(T X)$

which is covariantly constant in that

$\nabla_{(\mu} K_{\alpha_1, \cdots, \alpha_k)} = 0 \,.$

For $k = 1$ this reduces to the notion of Killing vector.

## Properties

For every Killing tensor $K$ on $(X,g)$ the dynamics of the relativistic particle on $X$ has a further conserved quantity. In the canonical case $K = g$ this quantity is the Hamiltonian of the particle (in the case of a relativistic particle its four-velocity normalization).

The analog of this for spinning particles and superparticles are Killing-Yano tensors.

## References

Named after Wilhelm Killing.

Last revised on April 24, 2018 at 09:45:57. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.