The BMS (Bondi-van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs) symmetry arises as the asymptotic symmetry of flat spacetime at null infinity. In particular, the BMS algebra for three dimensional flat spacetime (BMS$_3$) is generated by the super-rotation generators which form a Virasoro sub-algebra with central charge $c_L$, together with mutually-commuting super-translation generators. The super-rotation and super-translation generators have non-trivial commutation relations with another central charge $c_M$. In this paper, we study a free scalar theory in two dimensions exhibiting BMS$_3$ symmetry, which can also be understood as the ultra-relativistic limit of a free scalar CFT$_2$. Upon canonical quantization on the highest weight vacuum, the central charges are found to be $c_L=2$ and $c_M=0$. Because of the vanishing central charge $c_M=0$, the theory features novel properties: there exist primary states which form a multiplet, and the Hilbert space can be organized by an enlarged version of BMS modules dubbed the staggered modules. We further calculate correlation functions and the torus partition function, the later of which is also shown explicitly to be modular invariant.
Starting from the asymptotic kinematics of massless scalar fields near null infinity in any spacetime dimension, we build two higher-spin extensions of the Carrollian definition of the BMS group and its generalisations. The first extension exhibits conformal properties reminiscent of the singleton in Anti-de Sitter space. The second acts on the space of radiative solutions of the d'Alembert equation, i.e. on Sachs's representation of BMS, which we relate to the scalar massless Poincare representation and extend to any Carrollian manifold. The corresponding enveloping algebra is a higher-spin e…
The two-dimensional super-BMS$_{3}$ invariant theory dual to three-dimensional asymptotically flat $\mathcal{N}=1$ supergravity is constructed. It is described by a constrained or gauged chiral Wess-Zumino-Witten action based on the super-Poincaré algebra in the Hamiltonian, respectively the Lagrangian formulation, whose reduced phase space description corresponds to a supersymmetric extension of flat Liouville theory.
We study the canonical realization of BMS symmetry for a massive scalar field introduced in reference \cite{LM}. We will construct an invariant scalar product for the generalized momenta. As a consequence we will introduce a quadratic Casimir with the supertranslations.
We express the nonlocal BMS charges of a free massless Klein-Gordon scalar field in 2+1 in terms of the Green functions of the polyharmonic operators. Using the properties of these Green functions, we are able to discuss the asymptotic behaviour of the fields that ensures the existence of the charges, and prove that one obtains a realization of the 2+1 BMS algebra in canonical phase space. We also discuss the transformations in configuration space, and show that in this case the algebra closes only up to skew-symmetric combinations of the equations of motion. The formulation of the charges, in…
We use the isomorphism between the BMS${}_3$ and the $W(2,2)$ algebras to reconsider some generic aspects of CFTs with the BMS${}_3$ algebra defined as a chiral symmetry. For unitarity theories, it is known that the extended symmetry generator acts trivially, and the resulting theory is equivalent to a CFT with a Virasoro symmetry only. For nonunitary CFTs, we define an operator depending on a nilpotent variable, and we organize the Verma module through the action of this new operator. Finally, we find the conditions imposed by the modified Ward identity.
We use flat-space holography to calculate the mutual information and the 3-partite information of a two-dimensional BMS-invariant field theory (BMSFT$_2$). This theory is the putative holographic dual of the three-dimensional asymptotically flat spacetimes. We find a bound in which entangling transition occurs for zero and finite temperature BMSFTs. We also show that the holographic 3-partite information is always non-positive which indicates that the holographic mutual information is monogamous.
In the context of asymptotically flat spacetimes we exploit techniques proper either of white noise analysis either of dynamical systems in order to develop the Lagrangian and the Hamiltonian approach to a BMS invariant field theory at null infinity.
The existing equivalence between (generalized) BMS Ward identities with leading and subleading soft graviton theorems is extended to the case where the scattering particles are massive scalars. By extending the action of generalized BMS group off null infinity at late times, we show that there is a natural action of such group not only on the radiative data at null infinity but also on the scattering data of the massive scalar field. This leads to a formulation of Ward identities associated to the generalized BMS group when the scattering states are massive scalars or massless gravitons and we…
Conformal Carroll symmetry generically arises on null manifolds and is important for holography of asymptotically flat spacetimes, generic black hole horizons and tensionless strings. In this paper, we focus on two dimensional (2d) null manifolds and hence on the 2d Conformal Carroll or equivalently the 3d Bondi-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) algebra. Using Carroll covariance, we write the most general free massless Carroll scalar field theory and discover three inequivalent actions. Of these, two viz. the time-like and space-like actions, have made their appearance in literature before. We uncover a thi…
Scalar BMS-invariant QFT defined on the causal boundary $\scri$ of an asymptotically flat spacetime is discussed. (a)(i) It is noticed that the natural $BMS$ invariant pure quasifree state $λ$ on $\cW(\scri)$, recently introduced by Dappiaggi, Moretti an Pinamonti, enjoys positivity of the self-adjoint generator of $u$-translations with respect to {\em every} Bondi coordinate frame $(u,\z,\bz)$ on $\scri$, $u\in \bR$ being the affine parameter of the null geodesics forming $\scri$. This fact may be interpreted as a remnant of spectral condition inherited from Minkowski spacetime. (ii) It is pr…
We revisit the boundary dynamics of asymptotically flat, three dimensional gravity. The boundary is governed by a momentum conservation equation and an energy conservation equation, which we interpret as fluid equations, following the membrane paradigm. We reformulate the boundary's equations of motion as Hamiltonian flow on the dual of an infinite-dimensional, semi-direct product Lie algebra equipped with a Lie-Poisson bracket. This gives the analogue for boundary fluid dynamics of the Marsden-Ratiu-Weinstein formulation of the compressible Euler equations on a manifold, $M$, as Hamiltonian f…
We propose a quasi-local stress tensor for the four-dimensional asymptotically flat Robinson-Trautman geometries by taking the flat-space limit from the corresponding asymptotically AdS solutions. This stress tensor results in the correct charges of the generators of BMS symmetry if we define conformal infinity by an anisotropic scaling of the metric components. Using flat-space holography this stress tensor is related to expectation values of the stress tensor in a dual field theory called BMS-invariant field theory (BMSFT). We also calculate the two and three point functions of the proposed …
We study the key ingredients of a candidate holographic correspondence in an asymptotically flat spacetimes; in particular we develop the kinematical and the classical dynamical data of a BMS invariant field theory living at null infinity.
In this paper we perform the Hamiltonian reduction of the action for three-dimensional Einstein gravity with vanishing cosmological constant using the Chern-Simons formulation and Bondi-van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) boundary conditions. An equivalent formulation of the boundary action is the geometric action on BMS$_3$ coadjoint orbits, where the orbit representative is identified as the bulk holonomy. We use this reduced action to compute one-loop contributions to the torus partition function of all BMS$_3$ descendants of Minkowski spacetime and cosmological solutions in flat space. We the…
We explore the holographic principle in the context of asymptotically flat space-times by means of the asymptotic symmetry group of this class of space-times, the so called Bondi-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) group. In particular we construct a (free) field theory living at future (or past) null infinity invariant under the action of the BMS group. Eventually we analyse the quantum aspects of this theory and we explore how to relate the correlation functions in the boundary and in the bulk.
Scalar QFT on the boundary $\Im^+$ at null infinity of a general asymptotically flat 4D spacetime is constructed using the algebraic approach based on Weyl algebra associated to a BMS-invariant symplectic form. The constructed theory is invariant under a suitable unitary representation of the BMS group with manifest meaning when the fields are interpreted as suitable extensions to $\Im^+$ of massless minimally coupled fields propagating in the bulk. The analysis of the found unitary BMS representation proves that such a field on $\Im^+$ coincides with the natural wave function constructed out …
BMS symmetries have been attracting a great deal of interest in recent years. Originally discovered as being the symmetries of asymptotically flat spacetime geometries at null infinity in General Relativity, BMS symmetries have also been shown to exist for free field theories over Minkowski spacetime. In wanting to better understand their status and the underlying reasons for their existence, this work proposes a general rationale towards identifying all possible global symmetries of a free field theory over Minkowski spacetime, by allowing the corresponding conserved generators not to be nece…
Super-BMS$_4$ algebras -- also called BMS$_4$ superalgebras -- are graded extensions of the BMS$_4$ algebra. They can be of two different types: they can contain either a finite number or an infinite number of fermionic generators. We show in this letter that, with suitable boundary conditions on the graviton and gravitino fields at spatial infinity, supergravity on asymptotically flat spaces possesses as superalgebra of asymptotic symmetries a (nonlinear) super-BMS$_4$ algebra containing an infinite number of fermionic generators, which we denote SBMS$_4$. These boundary conditions are not on…
Symmetries play an interesting role in cosmology. They are useful in characterizing the cosmological perturbations generated during inflation and lead to consistency relations involving the soft limit of the statistical correlators of large-scale structure dark matter and galaxies overdensities. On the other hand, in observational cosmology the carriers of the information about these large-scale statistical distributions are light rays traveling on null geodesics. Motivated by this simple consideration, we study the structure of null infinity and the associated BMS symmetry in a cosmological s…
We show that, in any space-time dimension, the on-shell (electric) conformal Carrollian scalar can be interpreted as the flat-space limit of the singleton representation of the conformal algebra. In fact, a recently proposed higher-spin algebra for Minkowski spacetime amounts to the Poincaré enveloping algebra on the corresponding module. This higher-spin algebra is a contraction of that entering Vasiliev's equations, which can be constructed analogously from the singleton representation of the conformal algebra. We also show that the higher-spin extension of the Poincaré algebra we consider i…
BMS symmetry, which is the asymptotic symmetry at null infinity of flat spacetime, is an important input for flat holography. In this paper, we give a holographic calculation of entanglement entropy and Rényi entropy in three dimensional Einstein gravity and Topologically Massive Gravity. The geometric picture for the entanglement entropy is the length of a spacelike geodesic which is connected to the interval at null infinity by two null geodesics. The spacelike geodesic is the fixed points of replica symmetry, and the null geodesics are along the modular flow. Our strategy is to first reform…
The conformal symmetry algebra in 2D (Diff($S^{1}$)$\oplus$Diff($S^{1}$)) is shown to be related to its ultra/non-relativistic version (BMS$_{3}$$\approx$GCA$_{2}$) through a nonlinear map of the generators, without any sort of limiting process. For a generic classical CFT$_{2}$, the BMS$_{3}$ generators then emerge as composites built out from the chiral (holomorphic) components of the stress-energy tensor, $T$ and $\bar{T}$, closing in the Poisson brackets at equal time slices. Nevertheless, supertranslation generators do not span Noetherian symmetries. BMS$_{3}$ becomes a bona fide symmetry…
Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh（爱丁堡大学物理与天文学学院海格斯理论物理中心）；Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques（高等科学研究所）；Institute for Theoretical Studies, ETH Zurich（苏黎世联邦理工学院理论研究所）；Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, Pennsylvania State University（宾夕法尼亚州立大学引力与宇宙学研究所）；Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, Pennsylvania State University（宾夕法尼亚州立大学计算与数据科学研究所）
Conformal Carrollian groups are known to be isomorphic to Bondi-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) groups that arise as the asymptotic symmetries at the null boundary of Minkowski spacetime. The Carrollian algebra is obtained from the Poincare algebra by taking the speed of light to zero, and the conformal version similarly follows. In this paper, we construct explicit examples of Conformal Carrollian field theories as limits of relativistic conformal theories, which include Carrollian versions of scalars, fermions, electromagnetism, Yang-Mills theory and general gauge theories coupled to matter fields. Due …
The Poincaré invariant vacuum is not unique in quantum gravity. The BMS supertranslation symmetry originally defined at null infinity is spontaneously broken and results in inequivalent Poincaré vacua. In this paper we construct the unique vacua which interpolate between past and future null infinity in BMS gauge and which are entirely characterized by an arbitary Goldstone boson defined on the sphere which breaks BMS invariance. We show that these vacua contain a defect which carries no Poincaré charges but which generically carries superrotation charges. We argue that there is a huge degener…
In the gravitational context, Liouville theory is the two-dimensional conformal field theory that controls the boundary dynamics of asymptotically AdS_3 spacetimes at the classical level. By taking a suitable limit of the coupling constants of the Hamiltonian formulation of Liouville, we construct and analyze a BMS_3 invariant two-dimensional field theory that is likely to control the boundary dynamics at null infinity of three dimensional asymptotically flat gravity.
We study a three-dimensional Chern-Simons gravity theory based on the Maxwell algebra. We find that the boundary dynamics is described by an enlargement and deformation of the $\mathfrak{bms}_3$ algebra with three independent central charges. This symmetry arises from a gravity action invariant under the local Maxwell group and is characterized by presence of Abelian generators which modify the commutation relations of the super-translations in the standard $\mathfrak{bms}_3$ algebra. Our analysis is based on the charge algebra of the theory in the BMS gauge, which includes the known solutions…
The extended BMS algebra contains a conformal subgroup that acts on the celestial sphere as SO(3,1). It is of interest to perform mode expansions of free fields in Minkowski spacetime that realize this symmetry in a simple way. In the present work we perform such a mode expansion for massive scalar fields using the unitary principal series representations of SO(3,1) with a view to developing a holographic approach to gravity in asymptotically flat spacetime. These mode expansions are also of use in studying holography in three-dimensional de Sitter spacetime.
We present an explicit formula for Lorentz boosts and rotations that commute with BMS supertranslations in asymptotically flat spacetimes. Key to the construction is the use of infrared regularizations and of a unitary transformation that makes observables commute with the soft degrees of freedom. We explicitly verify that our charges satisfy the Lorentz algebra and we check that they are consistent with expectations by evaluating them on the supertranslated Minkowski space and on the boosted Kerr black hole.
We construct a hierarchy of integrable systems whose Poisson structure corresponds to the BMS$_{3}$ algebra, and then discuss its description in terms of the Riemannian geometry of locally flat spacetimes in three dimensions. The analysis is performed in terms of two-dimensional gauge fields for $isl(2,R)$. Although the algebra is not semisimple, the formulation can be carried out à la Drinfeld-Sokolov because it admits a nondegenerate invariant bilinear metric. The hierarchy turns out to be bi-Hamiltonian, labeled by a nonnegative integer $k$, and defined through a suitable generalization of …
We compute the Schwinger terms in the energy-momentum tensor commutator algebra from the anomalies present in Weyl-invariant and diffeomorphism-invariant effective actions for two dimensional massless scalar fields in a gravitational background. We find that the Schwinger terms are not sensitive to the regularization procedure and that they are independent of the background metric.
This thesis is devoted to the study of the deformation and rigidity of infinite dimensional Lie algebras which are not subject to the Hochschild-Serre factorization theorem. In particular, we consider $bms_{3}$, Virasoro-Kac-Moody and $bms_{4}$ algebras and their central extensions which are respectively obtained as asymptotic and/or near horizon symmetry algebras for Einstein gravity on $3d$ flat, AdS$_{3}$ and $4d$ flat spacetimes. We also explore possible deformations of the Maxwell-BMS algebra, which is obtained as asymptotic symmetry algebra of the Chern-Simons gravity theory invariant un…
Using the dilaton scalar and axion pseudoscalar fields we construct a number of scalars and differential forms which are symmetric under the $\mathbf{Z}_2$-subgroup of the group $SL(2, \mathbf{R})$. These invariants enable us to establish various 10-dimensional invariant actions. Other invariants which are not independent from the previous ones will be detached.
A classical solution is called universal if the quantum correction is a multiple of the metric. Universal solutions consequently play an important role in the quantum theory. We show that in a spacetime which is universal all of the scalar curvature invariants are constant (i.e., the spacetime is CSI).
Using Maccaferri's formula, we derive new wedge based solutions of open string field theory. The solutions are gauge equivalent to the Takahashi-Tanimoto scalar solutions. The classical action and the gauge invariant overlap are evaluated analytically. We find a perturbative vacuum solution whose gauge invariant observables vanish. We also identify a tachyon vacuum solution whose gauge invariant observables are identical to those of the Erler-Schnabl solution.
The explicit form of linearized gauge invariant interactions of scalar and general higher even spin fields in the $AdS_{D}$ space is obtained. In the case of general spin $\ell$ a generalized 'Weyl' transformation is proposed and the corresponding 'Weyl' invariant action is constructed. In both cases the invariant actions of the interacting higher even spin gauge field and the scalar field include the whole tower of invariant actions for couplings of the same scalar with all gauge fields of smaller even spin. For the particular value of $\ell=4$ all results are in exact agreement with hep-th/0…
The infinite number of time-dependent linear in field and conjugated momenta invariants is derived for the scalar field using the Noether's theorem procedure.
In a superspace formulation of Yang-Mills theory previously proposed, we show how gauge-invariant operators and scalars can be incorporated keeping intact the (broken) $Osp(3,1|2)$ symmetry of the superspace action. We show in both cases, that the WT identities can be cast in a simple form $\frac{\partial\bar{W}}{\partialθ}=0$.
Continuing the thrust of our recent work, but with an important new idea, we find a cut-off regularization of the determinant of a scalar particle in a classical Euclidean gravitational field. The field is assumed asymptotically flat, and the regularization is diffeomorphism-invariant under coordinate changes that are the identity at infinity. The scalar field is expanded in term of variables that depend on the gravitational field, with wavelet localization of each variable. A renormalization group structure is thus automatically present. A similar construction is carried out for the determina…
A general expression for the four-point function with vanishing total R-charge of anti-chiral and chiral superfields in N=1 superconformal theories is given. It is obtained by applying the exponential of a simple universal nilpotent differential operator to an arbitrary function of two cross ratios. To achieve this the nilpotent superconformal invariants according to Park are focused. Several dependencies between these invariants are presented, so that eight nilpotent invariants and 27 monomials of these invariants of degree d>1 are left being linearly independent. It is analyzed, how terms wi…
The absolute (moduli-independent) U-invariants of all N>2 extended supergravities at D=4 are derived in terms of (moduli-dependent) central and matter charges. These invariants give a general definition of the ``topological'' Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula for extremal black-holes and reduce to the square of the black-hole ADM mass for ``fixed scalars'' which extremize the black-hole ``potential'' energy. The Hessian matrix of the black-hole potential at ``fixed scalars'', in contrast to N=2 theories, is shown to be degenerate, with rank (N-2)(N-3) + 2 n (N being the number of supersymmetr…
The field-theoretic one-loop effective action in a static scalar background depending nontrivially on a single spatial coordinate is related, in the proper-time formalism, to the trace of the evolution kernel (or heat kernel) for an appropriate, one dimensional, quantum-mechanical Hamiltonian. We describe a recursive procedure applicable to these traces for shape-invariant Hamiltonians, resolving subtleties from the continuum mode contributions by utilizing the expression for the regularized Witten index. For some cases which include those of domain-wall-type scalar backgrounds, our recursive …
VSI (`vanishing scalar invariant') spacetimes have zero values for all total scalar contractions of all polynomials in the Riemann tensor and its covariant derivatives. However, there are other ways of concocting local scalar invariants (nonpolynomial) from the Riemann tensor that need not vanish even in VSI spacetimes, such as Cartan invariants. Simple examples are given that reduce to the squared amplitude for a linearized monochromatic plane gravitational wave. These nonpolynomial local scalar invariants are also evaluated for non-VSI spacetimes such as Schwarzschild and Kerr and are estima…
We obtain scale-invariant scalar and tensor power spectra from a Weyl-invariant scalar-tensor theory in de Sitter spacetime. This implies that the Weyl-invariance guarantees to implement the scale-invariance of power spectrum in de Sitter spacetime. We establish a deep connection between the Weyl-invariance of the action and scale-invariance of power spectrum in de Sitter spacetime.
