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In this thesis, we study two problems focusing on the interplay between geometric properties of differential equations and their invariants. / For the first project, we study the validity of the principle of symmetric criticality (PSC) in the context of invariant gauge fields over the four-dimensional non-reductive pseudo-Riemannian homogeneous spaces G/K recently classified by Fels & Renner (2006). Given H compact semi-simple, classification results are obtained for principal H-bundles over G/K admitting: (1) a G-action (by bundle automorphisms) projecting to left multiplication on the base, and (2) at least one G-invariant connection. There are two cases which admit nontrivial examples of such bundles and all G-invariant connections on these bundles are Yang--Mills. Using the invariant criteria obtained by Anderson--Fels--Torre, the validity of PSC is investigated for the bundle of connections and is shown to fail for all but one of the Fels--Renner cases. This failure arises from degeneracy of the scalar product on pseudo-tensorial forms restricted to the space of symmetric variations of an invariant connection. In the exceptional case where PSC is valid, there is a unique G-invariant connection which is moreover universal, i.e. it is a solution of the Euler--Lagrange equations associated to any G-invariant Lagrangian on the bundle of connections. This solution is a canonical connection associated with a weaker notion of reductivity which we introduce. / The second project is a study of the contact geometry of scalar second order hyperbolic equations in the plane of generic type. Following a derivation of parametrized contact-invariants to distinguish Monge--Ampere (class 6-6), Goursat (class 6-7) and generic (class 7-7) hyperbolic equations, we use Cartan's equivalence method to study the generic case. An intriguing feature of this class of equations is that every generic hyperbolic equation admits at most a nine-dimensional contact symmetry algebra. The nine-dimensional bound is sharp: normal forms for the contact-equivalence classes of these maximally symmetric equations are derived and explicit symmetry algebras are presented. Moreover, all such equations are Darboux integrable. An enumeration of several submaximally symmetric (eight and seven-dimensional) structures is also given.

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We compute the electrical conductivity and shear viscosity at leading order in hot Quantum Electrodynamics. Starting from the Kubo relation for electrical conductivity and shear viscosity, we use diagrammatic methods to write down the appropriate integral equations for bosonic and fermionic effective vertices. We also show how Ward identities can be used to put constraints on these integral equations. One of our main results is an equation relating the kernels of the integral equations with functional derivatives of the full self-energy; it is similar to what is obtained with two-particle-irreducible effective action methods. However, since we use Ward identities as our starting point, gauge invariance is preserved. Using these constraints obtained from Ward identities and also power counting arguments, we select the necessary diagrams that must be resummed at leading order. This includes all non-collinear (corresponding to 2 to 2 scatterings) and collinear (corresponding to 1+N to 2+N collinear scatterings) rungs responsible for the Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal effect. We also show the equivalence between our integral equations and the linearized Boltzmann equations of Arnold, Moore and Yaffe obtained using effective kinetic theory.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Mathematics, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 6, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 72-74). Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Physics and Astronomy." Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-174).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-174). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-17T16:51:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-06-15. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-05-17T16:54:32Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000857165.pdf: 1595645 bytes, checksum: 557819222860cb02533854e9c72b9e06 (MD5) / Neste trabalho foram estudados aspectos clássicos de teorias de segunda ordem. Primeiramente foi feita a formulação da teoria de gauge para sistemas em que a Lagrangiana do campo de gauge depende de suas componentes e se suas derivadas primeira e segunda aplicações desta estrutura para os casos U(1) - a eletrodinâmica generalizada de Podolsky - e SU(N) - Lagrangiana efetiva de Alekseev, Abuzov e Baikov. O uso desta estrutura para o caso do grupo de Lorentz SO(3,1) foi feito em separado e uma análise da solução estática e isotrópica no regime linear foi conduzida para um caso particular. Na sequência, analisou-se como a teoria de Podolsky poderia ser vinculada de três maneiras distintas, a partir de dados experimentais disponíveis na literatura. Finalmente, estudou-se regimes não relativísticos da eletrodinâmica de Podolsky, utilizando-se o formalismo galileanoem 5 dimensões. Os limites elétrico e magnético da teoria foram analisados / In this work, classical and semiclassical aspects of second order theories were analyzed. First the formulation of a gauge theory for systems whose Lagrangian for the gauge field depends on the field itself and its first and second derivatives was proposed. Applications of this structuire for the U(1) group - Podolsky generalized electodynamics - and for SU(N) - Alekseev, Abuzov e Baikov effective Lagrangian - were made. The Lorentz group SO(3,1) was also analyzed and an isotropic and static solution in linear approximation was obtained for a particular case. Next it was analyzed how Podolsky thory could be constrainedin three different ways using experimetnal data available on the literature. Finally the non-relativistic limits of Podolsky electrodyamics were analyzed on the 5-dimensional galilean formalism. The electric and magnetic limits were obtained

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