# Index notation for tensors¶

AUTHORS:

• Eric Gourgoulhon, Michal Bejger (2014-2015): initial version
class sage.tensor.modules.tensor_with_indices.TensorWithIndices(tensor, indices)

Index notation for tensors.

This is a technical class to allow one to write some tensor operations (contractions and symmetrizations) in index notation.

INPUT:

• tensor – a tensor (or a tensor field)
• indices – string containing the indices, as single letters; the contravariant indices must be stated first and separated from the covariant indices by the character _

EXAMPLES:

Index representation of tensors on a rank-3 free module:

sage: M = FiniteRankFreeModule(QQ, 3, name='M')
sage: e = M.basis('e')
sage: a = M.tensor((2,0), name='a')
sage: a[:] = [[1,2,3], [4,5,6], [7,8,9]]
sage: b = M.tensor((0,2), name='b')
sage: b[:] = [[-1,2,-3], [-4,5,6], [7,-8,9]]
sage: t = a*b ; t.set_name('t') ; t
Type-(2,2) tensor t on the 3-dimensional vector space M over the
Rational Field
sage: from sage.tensor.modules.tensor_with_indices import TensorWithIndices
sage: T = TensorWithIndices(t, '^ij_kl') ; T
t^ij_kl


The TensorWithIndices object is returned by the square bracket operator acting on the tensor and fed with the string specifying the indices:

sage: a['^ij']
a^ij
sage: type(a['^ij'])
<class 'sage.tensor.modules.tensor_with_indices.TensorWithIndices'>
sage: b['_ef']
b_ef
sage: t['^ij_kl']
t^ij_kl


The symbol ‘^’ may be omitted, since the distinction between covariant and contravariant indices is performed by the index position relative to the symbol ‘_’:

sage: t['ij_kl']
t^ij_kl


Also, LaTeX notation may be used:

sage: t['^{ij}_{kl}']
t^ij_kl


If some operation is asked in the index notation, the resulting tensor is returned, not a TensorWithIndices object; for instance, for a symmetrization:

sage: s = t['^(ij)_kl'] ; s  # the symmetrization on i,j is indicated by parentheses
Type-(2,2) tensor on the 3-dimensional vector space M over the
Rational Field
sage: s.symmetries()
symmetry: (0, 1);  no antisymmetry
sage: s == t.symmetrize(0,1)
True


The letters denoting the indices can be chosen freely; since they carry no information, they can even be replaced by dots:

sage: t['^(..)_..'] == t.symmetrize(0,1)
True


Similarly, for an antisymmetrization:

sage: s = t['^ij_[kl]'] ; s # the symmetrization on k,l is indicated by square brackets
Type-(2,2) tensor on the 3-dimensional vector space M over the Rational
Field
sage: s.symmetries()
no symmetry;  antisymmetry: (2, 3)
sage: s == t.antisymmetrize(2,3)
True


Another example of an operation indicated by indices is a contraction:

sage: s = t['^ki_kj'] ; s  # contraction on the repeated index k
Type-(1,1) tensor on the 3-dimensional vector space M over the Rational
Field
sage: s == t.trace(0,2)
True


Indices not involved in the contraction may be replaced by dots:

sage: s == t['^k._k.']
True


The contraction of two tensors is indicated by repeated indices and the * operator:

sage: s = a['^ik'] * b['_kj'] ; s
Type-(1,1) tensor on the 3-dimensional vector space M over the Rational
Field
sage: s == a.contract(1, b, 0)
True
sage: s = t['^.k_..'] * b['_.k'] ; s
Type-(1,3) tensor on the 3-dimensional vector space M over the Rational
Field
sage: s == t.contract(1, b, 1)
True
sage: t['^{ik}_{jl}']*b['_{mk}'] == s # LaTeX notation
True


Contraction on two indices:

sage: s = a['^kl'] * b['_kl'] ; s
105
sage: s == a.contract(0,1, b, 0,1)
True


Some minimal arithmetics:

sage: 2*a['^ij']
X^ij
sage: (2*a['^ij'])._tensor == 2*a
True
sage: 2*t['ij_kl']
X^ij_kl
sage: +a['^ij']
+a^ij
sage: +t['ij_kl']
+t^ij_kl
sage: -a['^ij']
-a^ij
sage: -t['ij_kl']
-t^ij_kl

update()

Return the tensor contains in self if it differs from that used for creating self, otherwise return self.

EXAMPLES:

sage: from sage.tensor.modules.tensor_with_indices import TensorWithIndices
sage: M = FiniteRankFreeModule(QQ, 3, name='M')
sage: e = M.basis('e')
sage: a = M.tensor((1,1),  name='a')
sage: a[:] = [[1,-2,3], [-4,5,-6], [7,-8,9]]
sage: a_ind = TensorWithIndices(a, 'i_j') ; a_ind
a^i_j
sage: a_ind.update()
a^i_j
sage: a_ind.update() is a_ind
True
sage: a_ind = TensorWithIndices(a, 'k_k') ; a_ind
scalar
sage: a_ind.update()
15