Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: We consider the class of physical theories whose dynamics are given by natural equations, which are partial differential equations determined by a functor from the category of n-manifolds, for some n, to the category of fiber bundles, satisfying certain further conditions. We show how the theory of natural equations clarifies several important foundational issues, including the status and meaning of minimal coupling, symmetries of theories, and background structure. We also state and prove a fundamental result about the initial value problem for natural equations.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Weatherall, James Owen, March, Eleanor
Institutions: University of California, Irvine, University of Oxford
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4416529377
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