Definition
It is defined to be the contraction of a differential form with a vector field. Thus if X is a vector field on the manifold M, then
is the map which sends a p-form ω to the (p−1)-form ιXω defined by the property that
for any vector fields X1,..., Xp−1.
The interior product is the unique antiderivation of degree −1 on the exterior algebra such that on one-forms α
- ,
the duality pairing between α and the vector X. Explicitly, if β is a p-form and γ is a q-form, then
The above relation says that the interior product obeys a graded Leibniz rule. An operation equipped with linearity and a Leibniz rule is often called a derivative. The interior product is also known as the interior derivative.
Read more about this topic: Interior Product
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