Symmetrizing the Canonical Energy-Momentum Tensor

OP's question (v7) asks:

Is it possible to obtain a symmetric stress-energy-momentum (SEM) tensor directly from the canonical SEM tensor by adding a total derivative term to the Lagrangian? In other words, by shifting $\Delta{\cal L}=d_\mu X^\mu$, and choosing $X^\mu$ appropriately, can we exactly get the shift in the SEM tensor required, in order to make the canonical SEM tensor symmetric?

No, that project is doomed already for E&M with the Maxwell Lagrangian density

$$ {\cal L}_0~:=~ -\frac{1}{4}F_{\mu\nu}F^{\mu\nu}\tag{1} $$

with

$$ F_{\mu\nu}~=~A_{\nu,\mu}-A_{\mu,\nu}, \qquad \frac{\partial{\cal L}_0}{\partial A_{\mu,\nu}}~\stackrel{(1)}{=}~ F^{\mu\nu}.\tag{2}$$

The vacuum EL equations read

$$ 0~\approx~F^{\mu\nu}{}_{,\nu}~=~ d^{\mu}(A^{\nu}_{,\nu})-d_{\nu}d^{\nu}A^{\mu}\tag{3} $$

In E&M, the canonical SEM tensor is$^1$

$$ \Theta^{\mu}{}_{\nu}~:=~\delta^{\mu}_{\nu}{\cal L}_0+\left(-\frac{\partial{\cal L}_0}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu}}+ d_{\beta}\frac{\partial{\cal L}_0}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu\beta}}\right) A_{\alpha,\nu} -\frac{\partial{\cal L}_0}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu\beta}}A_{\alpha,\nu\beta}~\stackrel{(1)}{=}~\delta^{\mu}_{\nu}{\cal L}_0+F^{\mu\alpha}A_{\alpha,\nu}~,\tag{4}$$

while the symmetric SEM tensor is

$$ T^{\mu}{}_{\nu}~=~\delta^{\mu}_{\nu}{\cal L}_0+F^{\mu\alpha}F_{\nu\alpha}.\tag{5}$$

So the difference is$^2$

$$ T^{\mu}{}_{\nu} -\Theta^{\mu}{}_{\nu}~\stackrel{(4)+(5)}{=}~ F^{\mu\alpha}A_{\nu,\alpha}~=~ d_{\alpha}(F^{\mu\alpha}A_{\nu}) - \underbrace{F^{\mu\alpha}{}_{,\alpha}}_{~\approx~0}A_{\nu} $$ $$~\stackrel{?}{\approx}~\delta^{\mu}_{\nu}\Delta{\cal L}+\left(-\frac{\partial\Delta{\cal L}}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu}}+ d_{\beta}\frac{\partial\Delta{\cal L}}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu\beta}}\right) A_{\alpha,\nu} -\frac{\partial\Delta{\cal L}}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu\beta}}A_{\alpha,\nu\beta}\tag{6} $$

for some total derivative term $\Delta{\cal L}=d_\mu X^\mu$, where $X^\mu$ depends on $A$ and $\partial A$. The question mark (?) in eq. (6) is OP's question. Note that the continuum equation is unaltered on-shell

$$ d_{\mu}T^{\mu}{}_{\nu} ~\approx~ d_{\mu}\Theta^{\mu}{}_{\nu}~\approx~0. \tag{7} $$

For dimensional reasons $X^\mu$ must be on the form$^3$

$$ X^{\mu} ~=~ a A^{\mu} A^{\nu}_{,\nu} + b A^{\nu} A^{\mu}_{,\nu} + c A^{\nu} A_{\nu}^{,\mu}\tag{8} $$

for some constants $a,b,c$. Then

$$\begin{align} \Delta{\cal L}~&~=~d_\mu X^\mu ~\stackrel{(8)+(10)}{=}~\Delta{\cal L}_1+\Delta{\cal L}_2,\tag{9} \cr \Delta{\cal L}_1~&:=~a (A^{\mu}_{,\mu})^2 + b A^{\nu}_{,\mu} A^{\mu}_{,\nu} + c A^{\nu}_{,\mu} A_{\nu}^{,\mu},\tag{10} \cr \Delta{\cal L}_2~&:=~ (a+b) A^{\mu} A^{\nu}_{,\nu\mu} + c A^{\mu}A_{\mu,\nu}^{,\nu}~\stackrel{(3)}{\approx}~(a+b+c) A^{\mu} A^{\nu}_{,\nu\mu}.\tag{11} \end{align} $$

Consider the last term on the right-hand side of eq. (6):

$$\begin{align}\frac{\partial\Delta{\cal L}}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu\beta}}A_{\alpha,\nu\beta} &~=~\frac{\partial\Delta{\cal L}_2}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu\beta}}A_{\alpha,\nu\beta}\cr &~=~\frac{a+b}{2} \left(A^{\alpha} A^{\mu}_{,\alpha\nu}+A^{\mu} A^{\alpha}_{,\alpha\nu}\right) +c A^{\alpha} A^{,\mu}_{\alpha,\nu} \tag{12}\end{align}$$

Apart from the diagonal term $\delta^{\mu}_{\nu}\Delta{\cal L}_2$, the terms in eq. (12) are the only appearances of 2nd-derivatives on the right-hand side of eq. (6). We conclude that

$$ \Delta{\cal L}_2~=~0\qquad\Leftrightarrow\qquad a+b~=~0\quad\wedge\quad c~=~0.\tag{13}$$

Similar arguments shows that eq. (6) is not possible$^4$. $\Box$

--

$^1$ In eq. (4) we have indicated the canonical SEM tensor for a Lagrangian density with up to 2nd-order derivatives. Some references, e.g. Weinberg QFT, have the opposite notational conventions for $T\leftrightarrow\Theta$. Here we are using the $(-,+,+,\ldots,+)$ Minkowski sign convention.

$^2$ In formula (6) we have neglected terms in $\Delta{\cal L}$ that depends on $\partial^3A$, $\partial^4A$, $\partial^5A$, $\ldots$, etc. Such terms are excluded for various reasons.

$^3$ In retrospect, this answer completely shares the premise/ideology/program/conclusion of this Phys.SE post.

$^4$ Interestingly, if we just take the trace of eq. (6), we get

$$\begin{align} A^{\nu}_{,\mu} A^{\mu}_{,\nu} - A^{\nu}_{,\mu} A_{\nu}^{,\mu} &~=~F^{\mu\alpha}A_{\mu,\alpha}\cr &~\stackrel{?}{\approx}~n \Delta{\cal L}+\left(-\frac{\partial\Delta{\cal L}}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu}}+ d_{\beta}\frac{\partial\Delta{\cal L}}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu\beta}}\right) A_{\alpha,\mu} -\frac{\partial\Delta{\cal L}}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu\beta}}A_{\alpha,\mu\beta}\cr &~\stackrel{(9)}{=}~(n-2) \Delta{\cal L}_1+(n-1) \Delta{\cal L}_2+ A_{\alpha,\mu} d_{\beta}\frac{\partial\Delta{\cal L}_2}{\partial A_{\alpha,\mu\beta}}\cr &~\stackrel{(11)}{=}~(n-2) \Delta{\cal L}_1+(n-1) \Delta{\cal L}_2+ \frac{a+b}{2}\left((A^{\mu}_{,\mu})^2+A^{\nu}_{,\mu} A^{\mu}_{,\nu} \right) +c A^{\nu}_{,\mu} A_{\nu}^{,\mu} ,\tag{14}\end{align} $$

which leads to the linear eq. system

$$ \begin{align} 0&~=~a+b+c, \tag{15}\cr -1&~=~(n-1)c\qquad\qquad\qquad\Rightarrow\qquad c~=~-\frac{1}{n-1},\tag{16}\cr 0&~=~(n-2)a +\frac{a+b}{2}\qquad\Rightarrow\qquad a~=~-\frac{1}{2(n-1)(n-2)},\tag{17}\cr 1&~=~(n-2)b +\frac{a+b}{2}\qquad\Rightarrow\qquad b~=~\frac{2n-3}{2(n-1)(n-2)},\tag{18}\end{align} $$ which remarkably has a unique & consistent solution. So it is not enough to just take the trace of eq. (6). However together with eq. (13), we conclude that there is no solution. $\Box$