Second Noether theorem for quasi-Noether systems

Abstract: Quasi-Noether differential systems are more general than variational systems and are quite common in mathematical physics. They include practically all differential systems of interest, at least those that have conservation laws. In this paper, we discuss quasi-Noether systems that possess infinite-dimensional (infinite) symmetries involving arbitrary functions of independent variables. For quasi-Noether systems admitting infinite symmetries with arbitrary functions of all independent variables, we state and prove an extension of the Second Noether Theorem. In addition, we prove that infinite sets of conservation laws involving arbitrary functions of all independent variables are trivial and that the associated differential system is under-determined. We discuss infinite symmetries and infinite conservation laws of two important examples of non-variational quasi-Noether systems: the incompressible Euler equations and the Navier-Stokes equations in vorticity formulation, and we show that the infinite sets of conservation laws involving arbitrary functions of all independent variables are trivial. We also analyze infinite symmetries involving arbitrary functions of not all independent variables, prove that the fluxes of conservation laws in these cases are total divergences on solutions, and demonstrate examples of this situation.