A lattice Maxwell system with discrete space–time symmetry and local energy–momentum conservation

A lattice Maxwell system is developed with gauge-symmetry, symplectic structure and discrete space–time symmetry. Noether's theorem for Lie group symmetries is generalized to discrete group symmetries for the lattice Maxwell system. As a result, the lattice Maxwell system is shown to admit a discrete local energy–momentum conservation law corresponding to the discrete space–time symmetry. A lattice model that respects all local conservation laws and geometric structures is as good as and probably more preferable than standard models on continuous space–time. It can also be viewed as an effective algorithm for the governing differential equations on continuous space–time. •Noether's theorem has been generalized to discrete group symmetries for a lattice Maxwell system.•Local energy–momentum conservation laws for the lattice Maxwell system are discovered.•Relation between global symmetries and conservation laws of the lattice Maxwell system are exist.