Glenn Barnich

Covariant theory of asymptotic symmetries, conservation laws and central charges

Under suitable assumptions on the boundary conditions, it is shown that there is a bijective correspondence between equivalence classes of asymptotic reducibility parameters and asymptotically conserved (n−2)-forms in the context of Lagrangian gauge theories. The asymptotic reducibility parameters can be interpreted as asymptotic Killing vector fields of the background, with asymptotic behaviour determined by a new dynamical condition. A universal formula for asymptotically conserved (n−2)-forms in terms of the reducibility parameters is derived. Sufficient conditions for finiteness of the charges built out of the asymptotically conserved (n−2)-forms and for the existence of a Lie algebra g among equivalence classes of asymptotic reducibility parameters are given. The representation of g in terms of the charges may be centrally extended. An explicit and covariant formula for the central charges is constructed. They are shown to be 2-cocycles on the Lie algebra g. The general considerations and formulas are applied to electrodynamics, Yang–Mills theory and Einstein gravity.

Local BRST cohomology in gauge theories

Abstract The general solution of the anomaly consistency condition (Wess–Zumino equation) has been found recently for Yang–Mills gauge theory. The general form of the counterterms arising in the renormalization of gauge-invariant operators (Kluberg–Stern and Zuber conjecture) and in gauge theories of the Yang–Mills type with non-power counting renormalizable couplings has also been worked out in any number of space–time dimensions. This Physics Report is devoted to reviewing in a self-contained manner these results and their proofs. This involves computing cohomology groups of the differential introduced by Becchi, Rouet, Stora and Tyutin, with the sources of the BRST variations of the fields (“antifields”) included in the problem. Applications of this computation to other physical questions (classical deformations of the action, conservation laws) are also considered. The general algebraic techniques developed in the Report can be applied to other gauge theories, for which relevant references are given.

Local BRST cohomology in the antifield formalism. I. General theorems

We establish general theorems on the cohomologyH*(s/d) of the BRST differential modulo the spacetime exterior derivative, acting in the algebra of localp-forms depending on the fields and the antifields (=sources for the BRST variations). It is shown thatH−k(s/d) is isomorphic toHk(δ/d) in negative ghost degree−k (k>0), where δ is the Koszul-Tate differential associated with the stationary surface. The cohomology groupH1(δ/d) in form degreen is proved to be isomorphic to the space of constants of the motion, thereby providing a cohomological reformulation of Noethers theorem. More generally, the groupHk(δ/d) in form degreen is isomorphic to the space ofn−k forms that are closed when the equations of motion hold. The groupsHk(δ/d)(k>2) are shown to vanish for standard irreducible gauge theories. The groupH2(δ/d) is then calculated explicitly for electromagnetism, Yang-Mills models and Einstein gravity. The invariance of the groupsHk(s/d) under the introduction of non-minimal variables and of auxiliary fields is also demonstrated. In a companion paper, the general formalism is applied to the calculation ofHk(s/d) in Yang-Mills theory, which is carried out in detail for an arbitrary compact gauge group.

Aspects of the BMS/CFT correspondence

After a review of symmetries and classical solutions involved in the AdS3/CFT2 correspondence, we apply a similar analysis to asymptotically flat spacetimes at null infinity in 3 and 4 dimensions. In the spirit of two dimensional conformal field theory, the symmetry algebra of asymptotically flat spacetimes at null infinity in 4 dimensions is taken to be the semi-direct sum of supertranslations with infinitesimal local conformal transformations and not, as usually done, with the Lorentz algebra. As a first application, we derive how the symmetry algebra is realized on solution space. In particular, we work out the behavior of Bondi’s news tensor, mass and angular momentum aspects under local conformal transformations.

Consistent couplings between fields with a gauge freedom and deformations of the master equation

Abstract The antibracket in the antifield-BRST formalism is known to define a map H p × H q → H p + q + 1 associating with two equivalence classes of BRST invariant observables of respective ghost number p and q an equivalence class of BRST invariant observables of ghost number p + q + 1. It is shown that this map is trivial in the space of all functionals, i.e., that its image contains only the zeroth class. However, it is generically non-trivial in the space of local functionals. Implications of this result for the problem of consistent interactions among fields with a gauge freedom are then drawn. It is shown that the obstructions to constructing non-trivial such interactions lie precisely in the image of the antibracket map and are accordingly non-existent if one does not insist on locality. However consistent local interactions are severely constrained. The example of the Chern-Simons theory is considered. It is proved that the only consistent, local, Lorentz covariant interactions for the abelian models are exhausted by the non-abelian Chern-Simons extensions.

Surface charge algebra in gauge theories and thermodynamic integrability

Surface charges and their algebra in interacting Lagrangian gauge field theories are constructed out of the underlying linearized theory using techniques from the variational calculus. In the case of exact solutions and symmetries, the surface charges are interpreted as a Pfaff system. Integrability is governed by Frobenius’ theorem and the charges associated with the derived symmetry algebra are shown to vanish. In the asymptotic context, we provide a generalized covariant derivation of the result that the representation of the asymptotic symmetry algebra through charges may be centrally extended. Comparison with Hamiltonian and covariant phase space methods is made. All approaches are shown to agree for exact solutions and symmetries while there are differences in the asymptotic context.

Symmetries of Asymptotically Flat Four-Dimensional Spacetimes at Null Infinity Revisited

It is shown that the symmetry algebra of asymptotically flat spacetimes at null infinity in 4 dimensions should be taken as the semidirect sum of supertranslations with infinitesimal local conformal transformations and not, as usually done, with the Lorentz algebra. As a consequence, two-dimensional conformal field theory techniques will play as fundamental a role in this context of direct physical interest as they do in three-dimensional anti-de Sitter gravity.

Classical central extension for asymptotic symmetries at null infinity in three spacetime dimensions

The symmetry algebra of asymptotically flat spacetimes at null infinity in three dimensions is the semi-direct sum of the infinitesimal diffeomorphisms on the circle with an Abelian ideal of supertranslations. The associated charge algebra is shown to admit a non-trivial classical central extension of Virasoro type closely related to that of the anti-de Sitter case.

BMS charge algebra

A bstractThe surface charges associated with the symmetries of asymptotically flat four dimensional spacetimes at null infinity are constructed. They realize the symmetry algebra in general only up to a field-dependent central extension that satisfies a suitably generalized cocycle condition. This extension vanishes when using the globally well defined BMS algebra. For the Kerr black hole and the enlarged BMS algebra with both supertranslations and superrotations, some of the supertranslation charges diverge whereas there are no divergences for the superrotation charges. The central extension is proportional to the rotation parameter and involves divergent integrals on the sphere.

Local BRST cohomology in the antifield formalism. II. Application to Yang-Mills theory

Yang-Mills models with compact gauge group coupled to matter fields are considered. The general tools developed in a companion paper are applied to compute the local cohomology of the BRST differentials modulo the exterior space-time derivatived for all values of the ghost number, in the space of polynomials in the fields, the ghosts, the antifields (=sources for the BRST variations) and their derivatives. New solutions to the consistency conditionssa+db=0 depending non-trivially on the antifields are exhibited. For a semi-simple gauge group, however, these new solutions arise only at ghost number two or higher. Thus at ghost number zero or one, the inclusion of the antifields does not bring in new solutions to the consistency conditionsa+db=0 besides the already known ones. The analysis does not use power counting and is purely cohomological. It can be easily extended to more general actions containing higher derivatives of the curvature or Chern-Simons terms.