A variational principle for Kaluza–Klein types theories

Abstract

For any positive integer n and any Lie group G, given a definite symmetric bilinear form on R n and an Ad-invariant scalar product on the Lie algebra of G, we construct a variational problem on fields defined on an arbitrary (n + dimG)-dimensional manifold Y. We show that, if G is compact and simply connected, any global solution of the Euler-Lagrange equations leads to identify Y with the total space of a principal bundle over an n-dimensional manifold X. Moreover X is automatically endowed with a (pseudo-)Riemannian metric and a connection which are solutions of the Einstein-Yang-Mills system equation with a cosmological constant.