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We introduce null contractions of the Poincare and relativistic conformal algebras. The longitudinal null contraction involves writing the algebra in lightcone coordinates and contracting one of the null directions. For the Poincare algebra, this yields two non-overlapping co-dimension one Carroll algebras. The transverse contraction is a limit on the spatial dimensions and yields two non-overlapping co-dimension one Galilean algebras. We find, similar to Susskind's original observation of the non-relativistic case, that the Poincare algebra, written in the lightcone coordinates, naturally contains Carrollian sub-algebras in one lower dimension. The effect of the longitudinal contraction, which essentially focusses on the null direction, is to disentangle the two Carroll algebras that now correspond to the symmetries of the two null boundaries. The transverse contraction similarly separates the overlapping Galilean sub-algebras of the original Poincare algebra. We discuss aspects of the conformal case, where we get lower dimensional Carroll Conformal algebras and Schrödinger algebras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Single-atom catalysts (SACs), due to their maximum atomic utilization rate, show tremendous potential for application in the electrocatalytic synthesis of ammonia from nitrate. Yet, the development of superior supports that preserve the high selectivity, activity, and stability of SACs remains an imperative challenge. In this work, based on first-principles calculations and tight-binding (TB) model analysis, a new two-dimensional (2D) carbon nitride monolayer, C 7 N 6 , is proposed. The C 7 N 6 structure exhibits a strong covalent network, with dynamical, thermal, and mechanical stability. Surprisingly, the structural transition from C 9 N 4 to C 7 N 6 corresponds to a semimetallic state transition. Further symmetry analysis unveils that the Dirac states in C 7 N 6 are protected by space–time inversion symmetry, and the physical origin of the Dirac cone was confirmed using the TB model. Additionally, a non-zero Z 2 invariant and significant topological edge states demonstrate its topologically nontrivial nature. Considering the excellent structural and topological properties of C 7 N 6 , a three-step screening strategy is designed to identify eligible SACs for electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO 3 RR), and Ti@C 7 N 6 is identified as possessing the best activity, with the last proton-electron coupling step *NH 2 →*NH 3 being the potential-determining step (PDS), for which the limiting potential is 0.48 V. Moreover, a free energy diagram shows that the *NOH reaction pathway is energetically preferred on Ti@C 7 N 6 , and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations at 500 K confirm its good thermal stability. Our study not only provides excellent CN-based support material but also offers theoretical guidance for constructing highly active and selective SACs for nitrate reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We study the conformal invariance of inflationary non-Gaussianities associated with scalar fluctuations in a non-Bunch-Davies initial state, known as the α-vacuum, in single-field slow-roll inflation. The α-vacuum is a one-parameter family of states, including the Bunch-Davies one, that preserves the conformal symmetry of inflationary dynamics in a nearly de-Sitter space-time. Working within the leading slow-roll approximation, we compute the four-point scalar correlator (the trispectrum) in α-vacuum using the in-in formalism. We check that the conformal Ward identities are met between the three and four-point scalar α-vacua correlators. Surprisingly, this contrasts the previously reported negative result of the Ward identities being violated between the two and the three-point correlators. We have also extended the wave-functional method, previously used for correlators with Bunch-Davies initial condition, to compute the three and four-point scalar correlators in α-vacua. The results obtained from the wave-function method match the corresponding in-in results, adding further justification to our check of Ward identities with α-vacua correlators.

Abstract We construct cosmological spacetimes with a self-dual Weyl tensor whose dynamics are described by conformally coupled scalars with only cubic self-interactions. Similar to the previously discovered cases in flat and (Anti) de Sitter backgrounds, the interactions are characterized by a bracket that encodes a kinematic algebra. We discuss how the color-kinematics duality and double copy are realized in these cosmological backgrounds. If we further impose that the Ricci scalar is that of an FLRW spacetime, we find two new self-dual metrics corresponding to radiation-dominated and coasting (non-accelerating) FLRW backgrounds. Relaxing this requirement, we find an infinite family of solutions given by three different conformal classes of cosmological self-dual metrics. These solutions approximate those of FLRW as long as we impose a simple additional constraint on the scalar theory.

Abstract Anomalies of global symmetry provide powerful tool to constrain the dynamics of quantum systems, such as anomaly matching in the renormalization group flow and obstruction to symmetric mass generation. In this note we compute the anomalies in 2+1d time-reversal symmetric gauge theories with massless fermions in the fundamental and rank-two tensor representations, where the gauge groups are SU(N), SO(N), Sp(N), U(1). The fermion parity is part of the gauge group and the theories are bosonic. The time-reversal symmetry satisfies T 2 = 1 or T 2 = M $$ \mathcal{M} $$ where M $$ \mathcal{M} $$ is an internal magnetic symmetry. We show that some of the bosonic gauge theories have time-reversal anomaly with c − ≠ 0 mod 8 that is absent in fermionic systems. The anomalies of the gauge theories can be nontrivial even when the number of Majorana fermions is a multiple of 16 and ν = 0.

Abstract We analyze a space-time algebra of BPS states that emerges in the infinite distance limit in the moduli space of the nine-dimensional CHL string as the theory decompactifies to the ten-dimensional E8 × E8 heterotic string. We find an affine algebra as expected from the heterotic case, but in a twisted version.

Abstract This paper develops an enlarged BRST framework to treat the large gauge transformations of a given quantum field theory. It determines the associated infinitely many Noether charges stemming from a gauge fixed and BRST invariant Lagrangian, a result that cannot be obtained from Noether’s second theorem. The geometrical significance of this result is highlighted by the construction of a trigraded BRST covariant phase space, allowing a BRST invariant gauge fixing procedure. This provides an appropriate framework for determining the conserved BRST Noether current of the global BRST symmetry and the associated global Noether charges. The latter are found to be equivalent with the usual classical corner charges of large gauge transformations. It allows one to prove the gauge independence of their physical effects at the perturbative quantum level. In particular, the underlying BRST fundamental canonical relation provides the same graded symplectic brackets as in the classical covariant phase space. A unified Lagrangian Ward identity for small and large gauge transformations is built. It consistently decouples into a bulk part for small gauge transformations, which is the standard BRST-BV quantum master equation, and a boundary part for large gauge transformations. The boundary part provides a perturbation theory origin for the invariance of the Hamiltonian physical -matrix under asymptotic symmetries. Holographic anomalies for the boundary Ward identity are studied and found to be solutions of a codimension one Wess-Zumino consistency condition. Such solutions are studied in the context of extended BMS symmetry. Their existence clarifies the status of the 1-loop correction to the subleading soft graviton theorem.

Abstract In this paper, we analyze the symmetry properties of the complete family of type D spacetimes generalized form the Plebański-Demiański solution in four dimensions holographically in terms of a warped CFT. The generalized Plebański-Demiański solutions are black hole-like spacetimes characterized by seven physical parameters. Most of the black holes in four dimensions are included within this family. Generically consider a solution with horizon in this family, we figure out the possible warped conformal symmetry attached to the horizon. The horizon can be either extremal or non-extremal. In the extremal case, the near horizon region can be mapped to an infinite spacetime with geometry given by a warped and twist product of AdS2 and S2. The new boundary conditions for AdS2 as well as their higher dimensional uplifts are applied here to manifest the asymptotic symmetry as the warped conformal symmetry. In the non-extremal case, the global warped conformal symmetry is singled out by analyzing the scalar wave equation with constant frequency. The local warped conformal symmetries are represented by the charge algebra associated to the vector fields which preserve the scalar wave equation as well as its frequency. In defining the variation of the covariant charges, a proper counterterm is introduced for consistency conditions which is supposed to be suitable for all the solutions within the family. As a consistency check, the horizon entropy is reproduced by the entropy formula of the warped CFT by using its modular covariance and the central terms derived in the bulk spacetimes.

Abstract We introduce null contractions of the Poincare and relativistic conformal algebras. The longitudinal null contraction involves writing the algebra in lightcone coordinates and contracting one of the null directions. For the Poincare algebra, this yields two non-overlapping co-dimension one Carroll algebras. The transverse contraction is a limit on the spatial dimensions and yields two non-overlapping co-dimension one Galilean algebras. We find, similar to Susskind’s original observation of the non-relativistic case, that the Poincare algebra, written in the lightcone coordinates, naturally contains Carrollian sub-algebras in one lower dimension. The effect of the longitudinal contraction, which essentially focusses on the null direction, is to disentangle the two Carroll algebras that now correspond to the symmetries of the two null boundaries. The transverse contraction similarly separates the overlapping Galilean sub-algebras of the original Poincare algebra. We discuss aspects of the conformal case, where we get lower dimensional Carroll Conformal algebras and Schrödinger algebras.

Abstract We show how to encode the radiative degrees of freedom in 4-dimensional asymptotically AdS spacetimes, using the boundary Cotton and stress tensors. Background radiation leads to a reduction of the asymptotic symmetry group, in contrast to asymptotically flat spacetimes, where a non-vanishing news tensor does not restrict the asymptotic symmetries. Null gauges, such as Λ-BMS, provide a framework for AdS spacetimes that include radiation in the flat limit. We use this to check that the flat limit of the radiative data matches the expected definition in intrinsically asymptotically flat spacetimes. We further dimensionally reduce our construction to the celestial sphere, and show how the 2-dimensional celestial currents can be extracted from the 3-dimensional boundary data.

Abstract We expand the relativistic open bosonic string in powers of 1/c 2 where c is the speed of light. We perform this expansion to next-to-leading order in 1/c 2 and relate our results to known descriptions of non-relativistic open strings obtained by taking limits. Just as for closed strings the non-relativistic expansion is well-defined if the open string winds a circle in the target space. This direction must satisfy Dirichlet boundary conditions. It is shown that the endpoints of the open string behave as Bargmann particles in the non-relativistic regime. These open strings end on nrDp-branes with p ≤ 24. When these nrDp-branes do not fluctuate they correspond to (p + 1)-dimensional Newton-Cartan submanifolds of the target space. When we include fluctuations and worldvolume gauge fields their dynamics is described by a non-relativistic version of the DBI action whose form we derive from symmetry considerations. The worldvolume gauge field and scalar field of a nrD24-brane make up the field content of Galilean electrodynamics (GED), and the effective theory on the nrD24-brane is precisely a non-linear version of GED. We generalise these results to actions for any nrDp-brane by demanding that they have the same target space gauge symmetries that the non-relativistic open and closed string actions have. Finally, we show that the nrDp-brane action is transverse T-duality covariant. Our results agree with the findings of Gomis, Yan and Yu in [1].

Abstract Using the recently developed cosmological bootstrap method, we compute the exact analytical solution for the seed integral appearing in cosmological correlators with double massive scalar exchanges. The result is explicit, valid in any kinematic configuration, and free from spurious divergences. It is applicable to any number of fields’ species with any masses. With an appropriate choice of variables, the results contain only single-layer summations. We also propose simple approximate formulas valid in different limits, enabling direct and instantaneous evaluation. Supported by exact numerical results using CosmoFlow, we explore the phenomenology of double massive exchange diagrams. Contrary to single-exchange diagrams with ubiquitous Lorentz-covariant interactions, the size of the cubic coupling constant can be large while respecting perturbativity bounds. Because of this property, the primordial bispectrum from double-exchange diagrams can be as large as, coincidentally, current observational constraints. In addition to being sizable on equilateral configurations, we show that the primordial bispectrum exhibits a large cosmological collider signal in the squeezed limit, making the double massive exchanges interesting channels for the detection of massive primordial fields. We propose to decisively disentangle double-exchange channels from single-exchange ones with cosmological observations by exploiting the phase information of the cosmological collider signal, the inflationary flavor oscillations from multiple fields’ species exchanges and the double soft limit in the primordial trispectrum.

Abstract Without Lorentz symmetry, generic fixed points of the renormalization group (RG) are labelled by their dynamical (or ‘Lifshitz’) exponent z. Hence, a rich variety of possible RG flows arises. The first example is already given by the standard non-relativistic limit, which can be viewed as the flow from a z = 1 UV fixed point to a z = 2 IR fixed point. In strongly coupled theories, there are good arguments suggesting that Lorentz invariance can emerge dynamically in the IR from a Lorentz violating UV. In this work, we perform a generic study of fixed points and the possible RG flows among them in a minimal bottom-up holographic model without Lorentz invariance, aiming to shed light on the possible options and the related phenomenology. We find: i) A minor generalization of previous models involving a massive vector field with allowed self-couplings leads to a much more efficient emergence of Lorentz invariance than in the previous attempts. Moreover, we find that generically the larger is the UV dynamical exponent z UV the faster is the recovery of Lorentz symmetry in the IR. ii) We construct explicitly a holographic model with a line of fixed points, realizing different Lifshitz scaling along the line. iii) We also confirm the monotonicity of a recently proposed a-function along all our Lorentz violating RG flows.

Abstract We reconsider formulating D dimensional gauge theories, with the focus on the case of gravity theories, in spacetimes with boundaries. We extend covariant phase space formalism to the cases in which boundaries are allowed to fluctuate. We analyze the symplectic form, the freedoms (ambiguities), and its conservation for this case. We show that boundary fluctuations render all the surface charges integrable. We study the algebra of charges and its central extensions, charge conservation, and fluxes. We briefly comment on memory effects and questions regarding semiclassical aspects of black holes in the fluctuating boundary setup.

Abstract We analyse the asymptotic symmetries of electromagnetism non-minimally coupled to scalar fields, with non-minimal couplings of the Fermi type that occur in extended supergravity models. Our study is carried out at spatial infinity where minimal and non-minimal couplings exhibit very different asymptotic properties: while the former generically cannot be neglected at infinity, the latter can. Electromagnetic non-minimal couplings are in that respect similar to gravitational minimal couplings, which are also asymptotically subdominant. Because the non-minimally interacting model is asymptotic to the free one, its asymptotic symmetries are the same as the ones of the free theory, i.e., described by angle-dependent u(1) gauge transformations. We also analyse the duality symmetry and show that it is broken to its compact subgroup by the asymptotic conditions. Finally, we consider logarithmic gauge transformations and use them to simplify the symmetry algebra.

Abstract The Unruh effect can be formulated as the statement that the Minkowski vacuum in a Rindler wedge has a boost as its modular flow. In recent years, other examples of states with geometrically local modular flow have played important roles in understanding energy and entropy in quantum field theory and quantum gravity. Here I initiate a general study of the settings in which geometric modular flow can arise, showing (i) that any geometric modular flow must be a conformal symmetry of the background spacetime, and (ii) that in a well behaved class of “weakly analytic” states, geometric modular flow must be future-directed. I further argue that if a geometric transformation is conformal but not isometric, then it can only be realized as modular flow in a conformal field theory. Finally, I discuss a few settings in which converse results can be shown — i.e., settings in which a state can be constructed whose modular flow reproduces a given vector field.

Abstract We present a Cartan-like first-order action principle for electric Carrollian gravity. The action is invariant under the local homogeneous Carroll group, albeit in a different representation than the one obtained by gauging the Carroll algebra. Additionally, we show that this first-order action can be derived from a smooth Carrollian limit of the Einstein-Cartan action. The connection with the Hamiltonian and metric forms of the action for electric Carrollian gravity, as well as with previous works in the literature, is also discussed.

Abstract Given a manifold M $$ \mathbbm{M} $$ admitting a maximally supersymmetric consistent truncation, we show how to formulate new consistent truncations by restricting to a set of Kaluza-Klein modes on M $$ \mathbbm{M} $$ invariant under some subgroup of the group of isometries of M $$ \mathbbm{M} $$ . These truncations may involve either finite or infinite sets of modes. We provide their global description using exceptional generalised geometry to construct a ‘deformed’ generalised parallelisation starting with that on M $$ \mathbbm{M} $$ . This allows us to explicitly embed known consistent truncations directly into exceptional generalised geometry/exceptional field theory, and to obtain the equations governing situations where the consistent truncation retains an infinite tower of modes.

Abstract Which relativistic field theories give rise to Kepler dynamics in the two-body problem? We consider a class of Hamiltonians that is the unique relativistic extension of the Kepler problem preserving its so(4) algebra, and have orbits related through time reparametrisation to orbits of the original Kepler problem. For three explicit examples, we give a natural interpretation in terms of spin-0,-1 and -2 interacting field theories in 5D. These are organically connected via the classical double copy, which therefore preserves maximal superintegrability.

Abstract Deser and Waldron have shown that maximal depth partially massless theories of higher (integer) spin on four-dimensional de Sitter spacetime (dS 4) possess infinitesimal symmetries generated by the conformal Killing vectors of dS 4. However, it was later shown by Barnich, Bekaert, and Grigoriev that these theories are not invariant under the conformal algebra so(2, 4). To get some insight into these seemingly contradicting results we write down the full set of infinitesimal transformations of the fields generated by the fifteen conformal Killing vectors of dS 4. In particular, although the infinitesimal transformations generated by the ten dS Killing vectors are well-known (these correspond to the conventional Lie derivatives), the transformations generated by the five non-Killing conformal Killing vectors were absent from the literature, and we show that they have an ‘unconventional’ form. In the spin-2 case (partially massless graviton), we show that the field equations and the action are invariant under the unconventional conformal transformations. For spin s > 2, the invariance is demonstrated only at the level of the field equations. For all spins s ≥ 2, we reproduce the result that the symmetry algebra does not close on the conformal algebra, so(2, 4). This is due to the appearance of new higher-derivative symmetry transformations in the commutator of two unconventional conformal transformations. Our results concerning the closure of the full symmetry algebra are inconclusive. Then we shift focus to the question of supersymmetry (SUSY) on dS 4 and our objective is twofold. First, we uncover a non-interacting supermultiplet that consists of a complex partially massless spin-2 field and a complex spin-3/2 field on dS 4. Second, we showcase the appearance of the unconventional conformal symmetries in the commutator of two SUSY transformations. Thus, this commutator closes on an algebra that is neither so(1, 4) nor so(2, 4), while its full structure is an open question. More open questions arising from our findings are also discussed.

Abstract The phenomenon of BCJ duality implies that gauge theories possess an abstract kinematic algebra, mirroring the non-abelian Lie algebra underlying the colour information. Although the nature of the kinematic algebra is known in certain cases, a full understanding is missing for arbitrary non-abelian gauge theories, such that one typically works outwards from well-known examples. In this paper, we pursue an orthogonal approach, and argue that simpler abelian gauge theories can be used as a testing ground for clarifying our understanding of kinematic algebras. We first describe how classes of abelian gauge fields are associated with well-defined subalgebras of the diffeomorphism algebra. By considering certain special subalgebras, we show that one may construct interacting theories, whose kinematic algebras are inherited from those already appearing in a related abelian theory. Known properties of (anti-)self-dual Yang-Mills theory arise in this way, but so do new generalisations, including self-dual electromagnetism coupled to scalar matter. Furthermore, a recently obtained non-abelian generalisation of the Navier-Stokes equation fits into a similar scheme, as does Chern-Simons theory. Our results provide useful input to further conceptual studies of kinematic algebras.

Abstract In IIB string theory on AdS3 background with NS-NS fluxes, we show that Brown-Henneaux asymptotic Killing vectors can be derived by requiring both the worldsheet equations of motion and Virasoro constraints are preserved near the asymptotic boundary of the target spacetime. The charges on the worldsheet that generate the corresponding transformations can be written down in both the Lagrangian formalism and Hamiltonian formalism. This provides a method of studying asymptotic symmetry of the target spacetime directly from worldsheet string theories, without using results from the supergravity limit. As an example, we apply this method to flat spacetime in three dimensions and obtain the BMS3 generators on the worldsheet theory.

Abstract We advance the multipoint lightcone bootstrap and compute anomalous dimensions of triple-twist operators at large spin. In contrast to the well-studied double-twist operators, triple-twist primaries are highly degenerate so that their anomalous dimension is encoded in a matrix. At large spin, the degeneracy becomes infinite and the matrix becomes an integral operator. We compute this integral operator by studying a particular non-planar crossing equation for six-point functions of scalar operators in a lightcone limit. The bootstrap analysis is based on new formulas for six-point lightcone blocks in the comb-channel. For a consistency check of our results, we compare them to perturbative computations in the epsilon expansion of ϕ 3 and ϕ 4 theory. In both cases, we find perfect agreement between perturbative results and bootstrap predictions. As a byproduct of our studies, we complement previous results on triple-twist anomalous dimensions in scalar ϕ 3 and ϕ 4 theory at first and second order in epsilon, respectively.

Abstract In an external electric or magnetic field, a gravitational wave (GW) may be converted into electromagnetic radiation. We present a coordinate-invariant framework to describe the GW signal in a detector that is based on this effect, such as cavities for axion searches. In this framework, we pay special attention to the definition of manifestly coordinate-independent expressions for the electromagnetic fields that an external observer would detect. A careful assessment of the detector’s perceived motion allows us to treat both its mechanical and its electromagnetic response to the GW consistently. We further introduce well-defined approximations for which this motion may be neglected, and hence provide suggestions on which coordinate frame is suitable to characterise the GW signal in practice. We illustrate our findings in two examples, an infinitesimally thin rod and a spherical electromagnetic cavity.

Abstract In this work, we study the duality symmetry group of Carrollian (nonlinear) electrodynamics and propose a family of Carrollian ModMax theories, which are invariant under Carrollian SO(2) electromagnetic (EM) duality transformations and conformal transformation. We define the Carrollian SO(2) EM transformations, with the help of Hodge duality in Carrollian geometry, then we rederive the Gaillard-Zumino consistency condition for EM duality of Carrollian nonlinear electrodynamics. Together with the traceless condition for the energy-momentum tensor, we are able to determine the Lagrangian of the Carrollian ModMax theories among pure electrodynamics. We furthermore study their behaviors under the T T ¯ $$ \sqrt{T\overline{T}} $$ deformation flow, and show that these theories deform to each other and may reach two endpoints under the flow, with one of the endpoint being the Carrollian Maxwell theory. As a byproduct, we construct a family of two-dimensional Carrollian ModMax-like multiple scalar theories, which are closed under the T T ¯ $$ \sqrt{T\overline{T}} $$ flow and may flow to a BMS free multi-scalar model.

Abstract We study the asymptotic dynamics of 3D gravity with Rindler boundary conditions both in flat and AdS spacetimes. We do this by using the angular quantization and Hamiltonian reduction of the action to the Wess-Zumino-Witten theory on the boundary. We then rewrite the boundary action as a functional of elements of the asymptotic symmetry group.

Abstract Any non-trivial scattering with massless fields in four spacetime dimensions will generically produce an “out” state with memory which gives rise to infrared divergences in the standard S-matrix. To obtain an infrared-finite scattering theory, one must suitably include states with memory. However, except in the case of QED with massive charged particles, asymptotic states with memory that have finite energy and angular momentum have not been constructed for more general theories (e.g. massless QED, Yang-Mills and quantum gravity). To this end, we construct direct-integral representations over the “Lorentz orbit” of a given memory and classify all “orbit space representations” that have well-defined energy and angular momentum. We thereby provide an explicit construction of a large supply of physical states with memory as well as the explicit action of the BMS charges all states. The construction of such states is a key step toward the formulation of an infrared-finite scattering theory. While we primarily focus on the quantum gravitational case, we outline how the methods presented in this paper can be applied to obtain representations of the Poincaré group with memory for more general quantum field theories.

Abstract Chiral shift symmetries of the massless free bosons in two dimensions are global symmetries that are somewhat similar to asymptotic symmetries. They are most transparent in double-null coordinates where they are parametrized by two functions of one variable. In BMS-type coordinates, half of them appear as an infinite tower of sub-leading super-shift symmetries.

Abstract We study the constraints imposed on the electromagnetic response of general media by microcausality (commutators of local fields vanish outside the light cone) and positivity of the imaginary parts (the medium can only absorb energy from the external field). The equations of motion for the average electromagnetic field in a medium — the macroscopic Maxwell equations — can be derived from the in-in effective action and the effect of the medium is encoded in the electric and magnetic permeabilities ε(ω, |k|) and μ(ω, |k|). Microcausality implies analyticity of the retarded Green’s functions when the imaginary part of the 4-vector (ω, k) lies in forward light cone. With appropriate assumptions about the behavior of the medium at high frequencies one derives dispersion relations, originally studied by Leontovich. In the case of dielectrics these relations, combined with the positivity of the imaginary parts, imply bounds on the low-energy values of the response, ε(0, 0) and μ(0, 0). In particular the quantities ε(0, 0) – 1 and ε(0, 0) – 1/μ(0, 0) are constrained to be positive and equal to integrals over the imaginary parts of the response. We discuss various improvements of these bounds in the case of non-relativistic media and with additional assumptions about the UV behavior.

Abstract We construct the teleparallel dynamics for extended geometry where the structure algebra is (an extension of) an untwisted affine Kac-Moody algebra. This provides a geometrisation of the Geroch symmetry appearing on dimensional reduction of a gravitational theory to two dimensions. The formalism is adapted to the underlying tensor hierarchy algebra, and will serve as a stepping stone towards the geometrisation of other infinite-dimensional, e.g. hyperbolic, symmetries.

Abstract The group of vertical diffeomorphisms of a principal bundle forms the action Lie groupoid associated to the bundle. The former is generated by the group of maps with value in the structure group, which is also the group of bisections of the groupoid. The corresponding Lie algebra of general vertical vector fields is generated by maps with value in the Lie algebra of the structure group. The bracket on these maps, induced by the bracket of vertical vector fields, is an “extended” bracket on gauge parameters: it has been introduced heuristically in physics, notably in the study of asymptotic symmetries of gravity. Seeing the set of Lie algebra-valued maps as sections of the action Lie algebroid associated to the bundle, the extended bracket is understood to be a Lie algebroid bracket on those sections. Here, we highlight that this bracket can also be seen to arise from the Frölicher-Nijenhuis bracket of vector-valued differential forms. The benefit of this viewpoint is to insert this extended bracket within the general framework of derivations of forms on a bundle. Identities relating it to the usual operations of Cartan calculus — inner product, exterior and (Nijenhuis-) Lie derivative — are immediately read as special cases of general results. We also consider the generalised gauge transformations induced by vertical diffeomorphisms, and discuss their peculiar features. In particular, locally, and contrary to standard gauge transformations arising from vertical bundle automorphisms, they are distinguishable from local gluings when iterated. Yet, the gauge principle still holds.

Abstract Families of Lorentz, but not Poincare, invariant vacua are constructed for a massless scalar field in 4D Minkowski space. These are generalizations of the Rindler vacuum with a larger symmetry group. Explicit expressions are given as squeezed excitations of the Poincare vacuum. The effective reduced vacua on the 3D hyperbolic de Sitter slices are the well-known de Sitter α-vacua with antipodal singularities in the Wightman function. Several special interesting cases are discussed.

Abstract We present a comprehensive study of hydrodynamic theories for superfluids with dipole symmetry. Taking diffusion as an example, we systematically construct a hydrodynamic framework that incorporates an intrinsic dipole degree of freedom in analogy to spin density in micropolar (spinful) fluids. Subsequently, we study a dipole condensed phase and propose a model that captures the spontaneous breaking of the U(1) charge. The theory explains the role of the inverse Higgs constraint for this class of theories, and naturally generates the gapless field. Next, we introduce finite temperature theory using the Hamiltonian formalism and study the hydrodynamics of ideal fracton superfluids. Finally, we postulate a derivative counting scheme and incorporate dissipative effects using the method of irreversible thermodynamics. We verify the consistency of the dispersion relations and argue that our counting is systematic.

Abstract Covariant phase space methods are applied to the analysis of a causal diamond in 2+1-dimensional pure Einstein gravity. It is found that the reduced phase space is parametrized by a family of charges with a dual geometrical interpretation: they are geometric observables on the corner of the diamond, and they generate diffeomorphisms. The Poisson brackets among them close into an algebra. Knowledge of the corner charges therefore permits reconstruction of the diamond geometry, which realizes a form of local holography. The results are contrasted with the literature, and the path to a quantum description of spacetime geometry is discussed.

Abstract We study substructures of the Weyl group of conformal transformations of the metric of (pseudo)Riemannian manifolds. These substructures are identified by differential constraints on the conformal factors of the transformations which are chosen such that their composition is associative. Mathematically, apart from rare exceptions, they are partial associative groupoids, not groups, so they do not have an algebra of infinitesimal transformations, but this limitation can be partially circumvented using some of their properties cleverly. We classify and discuss the substructures with two-derivatives differential constraints, the most famous of which being known as the harmonic or restricted Weyl group in the physics literature, but we also show the existence of a lightcone constraint which realizes a proper subgroup of the Weyl group. We then show the physical implications that come from invariance under the two most important substructures, concentrating on classical properties of the energy-momentum tensor and a generalization of the quantum trace anomaly. We also elaborate further on the harmonic substructure, which can be interpreted as partial gauge fixing of full Weyl invariance using BRST methods. Finally, we discuss how to construct differential constraints of arbitrary higher-derivative order and present, as examples, generalizations involving scalar constraints with four and six derivatives.

Abstract We present a dissipative hydrodynamic theory of “s-wave dipole superfluids” that arise in phases of translation-invariant and dipole-symmetric models in which the U(1) symmetry is spontaneously broken. The hydrodynamic description is subtle on account of an analogue of dangerously irrelevant operators, which requires us to formalize an entirely new derivative counting scheme suitable for these fluids. We use our hydrodynamic model to investigate the linearized response of such a fluid, characterized by sound modes ω ~ ±k – ik 2, shear modes ω ~ –ik 2, and magnon-like propagating modes ω ~ ±k 2 – ik 4 that are the dipole-invariant version of superfluid “second sound” modes. We find that these fluids can also admit equilibrium states with “dipole superflow” that resemble a polarized medium. Finally, we couple our theory to slowly varying background fields, which allows us to compute response functions of hydrodynamic operators and Kubo formulas for hydrodynamic transport coefficients.

Abstract We discuss non-relativistic variants of four-dimensional N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory obtained from generalised Newton-Cartan geometric limits of D3-branes in ten-dimensional spacetime. We argue that the natural interpretation of these limits is that they correspond to non-relativistic D1-branes or D3-branes intersecting the original D3-branes. The resulting gauge theories have dynamics that reduce to quantum mechanics on monopole moduli space or two-dimensional sigma-models on Hitchin moduli space respectively. We show that these theories possess interesting infinite-dimensional symmetries and we discuss the dual AdS geometries.

Abstract Infrared effects in the scattering of particles in gravity and electrodynamics entail an exchange of relativistic angular momentum between pairs of particles and the gauge field. Due to this exchange particles can carry an asymptotically non-vanishing “pairwise” boost-like angular momentum proportional to the product of their couplings to the field. At the quantum level this asymptotic angular momentum suggests the existence of a new quantum number carried by multi-particle states. We argue that such quantum number is related to a modification of the action of the generators of Lorentz transformations on multi-particle states. We derive such a modification using a group-theoretic argument based on the little group of the conformal primary basis for asymptotic states. The corresponding representation is an extension of the ordinary multi-particle Fock representation of the Poincaré group. The new multi-particle states belonging to such representation no longer factorize into tensor products of one-particle states. Viewed from a gravitational point of view, our results provide evidence for a universal breakdown of the description of multi-particle sates in terms of tensor products of one-particle states due to infrared back-reaction.

Abstract A generalized Kerr-Schild ansatz for bigravity, already considered in the literature, which leads to linear interactions between the metrics is used to study the bigravity equations in the context of the double copy. By contracting the resulting spin-2 field bigravity equations of motion using Killing vector fields, as is usually carried out in general relativity, we arrive to the single and zeroth copy equations for the mentioned ansatz. For the case of stationary solutions, we obtain two Maxwell and two conformally coupled scalar field equations for the single and zeroth copies respectively, and the linear interactions are absent. In the time-dependent case we obtain equations for the fields which are coupled. By decoupling these equations and at the zeroth copy level, we recover a massless and a massive field whose mass is proportional to the Fierz-Pauli mass and depends on the coefficients of the interaction potential between the metrics. This has been also previously documented in the literature and is now reinterpreted within the context of the double copy proposal.

Abstract Celestial holography has led to the discovery of new symmetry algebras arising from the study of collinear limits of perturbative gravity amplitudes in flat space. We explain from the twistor perspective how a non-vanishing cosmological constant Λ naturally modifies the celestial chiral algebra. The cosmological constant deforms the Poisson bracket on twistor space, so the corresponding deformed algebra of Hamiltonians under the new bracket is automatically consistent. This algebra is equivalent to that recently found by Taylor and Zhu. We find a number of variations of the deformed algebra. We give the Noether charges arising from the expression of this algebra as a symmetry of the twistor action for self-dual gravity with cosmological constant.

Abstract Motivated by flat space holography, we demonstrate that massive spin-s fields in Minkowski space near timelike infinity are massive carrollian fields on the carrollian counterpart of anti-de Sitter space called Ti. Its isometries form the Poincaré group, and we construct the carrollian spin-s fields using the method of induced representations. We provide a dictionary between massive carrollian fields on Ti and massive fields in Minkowski space, as well as to fields in the conformal primary basis used in celestial holography. We show that the symmetries of the carrollian structure naturally account for the BMS charges underlying the soft graviton theorem. Finally, we initiate a discussion of the correspondence between massive scattering amplitudes and carrollian correlation functions on Ti, and introduce physical definitions of detector operators using a suitable notion of conserved carrollian energy-momentum tensor.

Abstract We consider effective field theories (EFTs) of scalar fields with broken Lorentz boosts, which arise by taking the decoupling and flat-space limits of the EFT of inflation, and derive constraints that must be satisfied by the corresponding scattering amplitudes if there is an underlying non-linearly realised symmetry. We primarily concentrate on extended shift symmetries which depend on the space-time coordinates, and find that combinations of scattering amplitudes obey enhanced Adler zeros. That is, such combinations vanish as one external momentum is taken soft, with the rate at which they vanish dictated by the corresponding symmetry. In our soft theorem derivation, we pay particular care to the energy and momentum-conserving delta functions that arise due to space-time translations, and show that when acted upon by derivatives with respect to spatial momenta, they yield a tower of soft theorems which are ultimately required for closure of the underlying symmetry algebra. All of our soft theorems correspond to constraints that must be satisfied by on-shell amplitudes and, even for symmetries that depend on the time coordinate, our soft theorems only require derivatives to be taken with respect to spatial momenta. We perform a soft bootstrap procedure to find solutions to our soft theorems, and compare these solutions to what we find from an off-shell analysis using the coset construction.

Abstract We derive a prescription for the phase space of general relativity on two intersecting null surfaces using the null initial value formulation. The phase space allows generic smooth initial data, and the corresponding boundary symmetry group is the semidirect product of the group of arbitrary diffeomorphisms of each null boundary which coincide at the corner, with a group of reparameterizations of the null generators. The phase space can be consistently extended by acting with half-sided boosts that generate Weyl shocks along the initial data surfaces. The extended phase space includes the relative boost angle between the null surfaces as part of the initial data. We then apply the Wald-Zoupas framework to compute gravitational charges and fluxes associated with the boundary symmetries. The non-uniqueness in the charges can be reduced to two free parameters by imposing covariance and invariance under rescalings of the null normals. We show that the Wald-Zoupas stationarity criterion cannot be used to eliminate the non-uniqueness. The different choices of parameters correspond to different choices of polarization on the phase space. We also derive the symmetry groups and charges for two subspaces of the phase space, the first obtained by fixing the direction of the normal vectors, and the second by fixing the direction and normalization of the normal vectors. The second symmetry group consists of Carrollian diffeomorphisms on the two boundaries. Finally we specialize to future event horizons by imposing the condition that the area element be non-decreasing and become constant at late times. For perturbations about stationary backgrounds we determine the independent dynamical degrees of freedom by solving the constraint equations along the horizons. We mod out by the degeneracy directions of the presymplectic form, and apply a similar procedure for weak non-degeneracies, to obtain the horizon edge modes and the Poisson structure. We show that the area operator of the black hole generates a shift in the relative boost angle under the Poisson bracket.

Abstract We use the framework of Hopf algebra and noncommutative differential geometry to build a noncommutative (NC) theory of gravity in a bottom-up approach. Noncommutativity is introduced via deformed Hopf algebra of diffeomorphisms by means of a Drinfeld twist. The final result of the construction is a general formalism for obtaining NC corrections to the classical theory of gravity for a wide class of deformations and a general background. This also includes a novel proposal for noncommutative Einstein manifold. Moreover, the general construction is applied to the case of a linearized gravitational perturbation theory to describe a NC deformation of the metric perturbations. We specifically present an example for the Schwarzschild background and axial perturbations, which gives rise to a generalization of the work by Regge and Wheeler. All calculations are performed up to first order in perturbation of the metric and noncommutativity parameter. The main result is the noncommutative Regge-Wheeler potential. Finally, we comment on some differences in properties between the Regge-Wheeler potential and its noncommutative counterpart.

Abstract We consider an antisymmetric gauge field in the Minkowski space of d-dimension and decompose it in terms of the antisymmetric tensor harmonics and fix the gauge. The Gauss law implies that the normal component of the field strength on the spherical entangling surface will label the superselection sectors. From the two-point function of the field strength on the sphere, we evaluate the logarithmic divergent term of the entanglement entropy of edge modes of p-form field. We observe that the logarithmic divergent term in entanglement entropy of edge modes coincides with the edge partition function of co-exact p-form on the sphere when expressed in terms of the Harish-Chandra characters. We also develop a boundary path integral of the antisymmetric p-form gauge field. From the boundary path integral, we show that the edge mode partition function corresponds to the co-exact (p − 1)-forms on the boundary. This boundary path integral agrees with the direct evaluation of the entanglement entropy of edge modes extracted from the two-point function of the normal component of the field strength on the entangling surface.

Abstract The interaction between Unruh-De Witt spin 1/2 detectors and a real scalar field is scrutinized by making use of the Tomita-Takesaki modular theory as applied to the Von Neumann algebra of the Weyl operators. The use of the modular theory enables to evaluate in an exact way the trace over the quantum field degrees of freedom. The resulting density matrix is employed to the study of the Bell-CHSH correlator. It turns out that, as a consequence of the interaction with the quantum field, the violation of the Bell-CHSH inequality exhibits a decreasing as compared to the case in which the scalar field is absent.

Abstract A non-relativistic limit of the AdS/CFT correspondence is studied in the context of M2-branes. On the field theory side this corresponds to a near-BPS limit of ABJM that localises onto solutions of Hitchin’s equations. It is shown that the symmetries of the theory include an infinite-dimensional enhancement of the spatial symmetry algebra corresponding to time-dependent holomorphic transformations. Taking the limit of the gravitational dual splits the geometry into three ‘large’ directions and eight ‘small’ directions and corresponds to the Membrane-Newton-Cartan limit of eleven-dimensional supergravity. This has the effect of reducing the AdS 4 factor to an AdS 2 factor for the near-horizon limit of the M2-brane metric. Evidence is presented that the duality is maintained after the limit.

Abstract The classical dynamics and the construction of quantum states in a plane wave curved spacetime are examined, paying particular attention to the similarities with the case of an electromagnetic plane wave in flat spacetime. A natural map connecting the dynamics of a particle in the Rosen metric and the motion of a charged particle in an electromagnetic plane wave is unveiled. We then discuss how this map can be translated into the quantum description by exploiting the large number of underlying symmetries. We examine the complete analogy between Volkov solutions and fermion states in the Rosen chart and properly extend this to massive vector bosons. We finally report the squared S-matrix element of Compton scattering in a sandwich plane wave spacetime in the form of a two-dimensional integral.

The cosmological constant is normally introduced as an additional term entering the Einstein–Hilbert (EH) action. In this letter, we demonstrate that, instead, it appears naturally from the standard EH action as an invariant term emerging from spacetime symmetries. We then demonstrate that the same constraint emerging from this invariant suppresses the short wavelength modes and it favors the long wavelength ones. In this way, inside the proposed formulation, the observed value for the vacuum energy density is obtained naturally from the zero-point quantum fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deser and Waldron have shown that maximal depth partially massless theories of higher (integer) spin on four-dimensional de Sitter spacetime (dS4) possess infinitesimal symmetries generated by the conformal Killing vectors of dS4. However, it was later shown by Barnich, Bekaert, and Grigoriev that these theories are not invariant under the conformal algebra so(2, 4). To get some insight into these seemingly contradicting results we write down the full set of infinitesimal transformations of the fields generated by the fifteen conformal Killing vectors of dS4. In particular, although the infinitesimal transformations generated by the ten dS Killing vectors are well-known (these correspond to the conventional Lie derivatives), the transformations generated by the five non-Killing conformal Killing vectors were absent from the literature, and we show that they have an 'unconventional' form. In the spin-2 case (partially massless graviton), we show that the field equations and the action are invariant under the unconventional conformal transformations. For spin s > 2, the invariance is demonstrated only at the level of the field equations. For all spins s ≥ 2, we reproduce the result that the symmetry algebra does not close on the conformal algebra, so(2, 4). This is due to the appearance of new higher-derivative symmetry transformations in the commutator of two unconventional conformal transformations. Our results concerning the closure of the full symmetry algebra are inconclusive. Then we shift focus to the question of supersymmetry (SUSY) on dS4 and our objective is twofold. First, we uncover a non-interacting supermultiplet that consists of a complex partially massless spin-2 field and a complex spin-3/2 field on dS4. Second, we showcase the appearance of the unconventional conformal symmetries in the commutator of two SUSY transformations. Thus, this commutator closes on an algebra that is neither so(1, 4) nor so(2, 4), while its full structure is an open question. More open questions arising from our findings are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]