Diffeomorphism Invariant Integrable Field Theories and Hypersurface Motions in Riemannian Manifolds

Abstract

We discuss hypersurface motions in Riemannian manifolds whose normal velocity is a function of the induced hypersurface volume element and derive a second order partial differential equation for the corresponding time function $\tau (x)$ at which the hypersurface passes the point $x$. Equivalently, these motions may be described in a Hamiltonian formulation as the singlet sector of certain diffeomorphism invariant field theories. At least in some (infinite class of) cases, which could be viewed as a large-volume limit of Euclidean $M$-branesmoving in an arbitrary $M+1$-dimensional Riemannian manifold, the models are integrable: In the time-function formulation the equation becomes linear (with $\tau (x)$ a harmonic function on the embedding Riemannian manifold). We explicitly compute solutions to the large volume limit of Euclidean membrane dynamics in $\Real^3$ by methods used in electrostatics and point out an additional gradient flow structure in $\Real^n$. In the Hamiltonian formulation we discover infinitely many hierarchies of integrable, multidimensional, $N$-component theories possessing infinitely many diffeomorphism invariant, Poisson commuting, conserved charges.

15 pages, LATEX

References in corpus (3)

• The Dynamics of Relativistic Membranes II: Nonlinear Waves and Covariantly Reduced Membrane Equations
• Surface Motions and Fluid Dynamics
• Canonical 3+1 Description of Relativistic Membranes

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Hamiltonian dynamics of extended objects
• On membrane interactions and a three-dimensional analog of Riemann surfaces
• On the Deformation of Time Harmonic Flows