Lie derivative with respect to anything else

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the concept of the Lie derivative taken with respect to a tensor field, rather than the traditional vector field. The participants explore whether such a derivative exists and how it could be defined. A suggestion is made to describe the Lie derivative as measuring the change in a tensor field concerning the change in a vector field. Additionally, the possibility of defining the Lie derivative with respect to a totally contravariant tensor is proposed, indicating that it could be expressed as the tensor product of component-wise Lie derivatives.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Lie derivatives in differential geometry
  • Familiarity with tensor fields and vector fields
  • Knowledge of contravariant and covariant tensors
  • Basic concepts of tensor calculus
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  • Research the definition and properties of the Lie derivative in differential geometry
  • Explore the relationship between tensor fields and vector fields in the context of Lie derivatives
  • Study the implications of totally contravariant tensors in tensor calculus
  • Investigate existing literature on derivatives with respect to tensor fields
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Mathematicians, physicists, and students of differential geometry interested in advanced concepts of tensor calculus and the application of Lie derivatives.

jfy4
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Hi,

I have been looking around, and I can't seem to find a slightly different version of the lie derivative where the lie derivative is taken with respect to a tensor field, rather than a vector field. That is, a quantity which measures the change in a vector field, along the "flow" of a tensor field.

I am not asking about the lie derivative of a tensor, which is the change in a tensor field through the flow of a vector field.

does such a derivative exist? is this a reasonable question?

Also, would a different, but correct way to describe the Lie derivative be "it measures the change in a tensor field with respect to the change in a vector field" ?

Thanks,
 
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I can't think of a definition of the lie derivative with respect to a covector off my head.
However, we may talk about the lie derivative with respect to a totally contravariant tensor.We could define it as the tensor product of component-wise lie derivatives. Such a quantity could be another tensor.
 

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