A Variational Complex for Difference Equations

Abstract An analogue of the Poincaré lemma for exact forms on a lattice is stated and proved. Using this result as a starting-point, a variational complex for difference equations is constructed and is proved to be locally exact. The proof uses homotopy maps, which enable one to calculate Lagrangians for discrete Euler–Lagrange systems. Furthermore, such maps lead to a systematic technique for deriving conservation laws of a given system of difference equations (whether or not it is an Euler–Lagrange system).

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