Conformal Symmetry

The nonlinear scalar-field realisation of $w_{1+\infty}$ symmetry in $d=2$ dimensions is studied in analogy to the nonlinear realisation of $d=4$ conformal symmetry $SO(4,2)$. The $w_{1+\infty}$ realisation is derived from a coset-space construction in which the divisor group is generated by the non-negative modes of the Virasoro algebra, with subsequent application of an infinite set of covariant constraints. The initial doubly-infinite set of Goldstone fields arising in this construction is reduced by the covariant constraints to a singly-infinite set corresponding to the Cartan-subalgebra generators $v^\ell_{-(\ell+1)}$. We derive the transformation rules of this surviving set of fields, finding a triangular structure in which fields transform into themselves or into lower members of the set only. This triangular structure gives rise to finite-component subrealisations, including the standard one for a single scalar. We derive the Maurer-Cartan form and discuss the construction of invariant actions.

Abstract: A generalized theory of two-dimensional isotropic turbulence is developed based on conformal symmetry. A number of minimal models of conformal turbulence are solved under an extended constraint including both the enstrophy cascade by Kraichnan and the ...

ANNALS OF PHYSICS: 53, 174202 (1969) FiniteComponent Field Representations of the Conformal Group G. MACK* International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy AND ABDUS SALAM** International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy We review work done ...

$\Gamma$-conformal algebra is an axiomatic description of the operator product expansion of chiral fields with simple poles at finitely many points. We classify these algebras and their representations in terms of Lie algebras and their representations with an action of the group $\Gamma$. To every $\Gamma$-conformal algebra and a character of $\Gamma$ we associate a Lie algebra generated by fields with the OPE with simple poles. Examples include twisted affine Kac-Moody algebras, the sin algebra (which is a ``$\Gamma$-conformal'' analodue of the general linear algebra) and its analogues, the algebra of pseudodifferential operators on the circle, etc.

We consider the two main theorems in the derivation of the Quantum Hamilton--Jacobi Equation from the Equivalence Postulate (EP) of quantum mechanics. The first one concerns a basic cocycle condition, which holds in any dimension with Euclidean or Minkowski metrics and implies a global conformal symmetry underlying the Quantum Hamilton--Jacobi Equation. In one dimension such a condition fixes the Schwarzian equation. The second theorem concerns energy quantization which follows rigorously from consistency of the equivalence postulate.

If a catenoid is inverted in any interior point, a deflated compact geometry is obtained which touches at two points (its poles). The catenoid is a minimal surface and, as such, is an equilibrium shape of a symmetric fluid membrane. The conformal symmetry of the Hamiltonian implies that inverted minimal surfaces are also equilibrium shapes. However, they exhibit curvature singularities at their poles. These singularities are associated with external forces pulling the poles together. Unlike the catenoid which is free of stress, there will be stress within the inverted shapes. If the surface area is fixed, reducing the external force induces a transition from a discocyte to a cup-shaped stomatocyte.

We propose a framework for the free field construction of algebras of local observables which uses as an input the Bisognano-Wichmann relations and a representation of the Poincare' group on the one-particle Hilbert space. The abstract real Hilbert subspace version of the Tomita-Takesaki theory enables us to bypass some limitations of the Wigner formalism by introducing an intrinsic spacetime localization. Our approach works also for continuous spin representations to which we associate a net of von Neumann algebras on spacelike cones with the Reeh-Schlieder property. The positivity of the energy in the representation turns out to be equivalent to the isotony of the net, in the spirit of Borchers theorem. Our procedure extends to other spacetimes homogeneous under a group of geometric transformations as in the case of conformal symmetries and de Sitter spacetime.

We review the relations between a family of domain-wall solutions to M-theory and gravitational instantons with special holonomy. When oxidized into the maximal-dimension parent supergravity, the transverse spaces of these domain walls become cohomogeneity-one spaces with generalized Heisenberg symmetries and a homothetic conformal symmetry. These metrics may also be obtained as scaling limits of generalized Eguchi-Hanson metrics, or, with appropriate discrete identifications, from generalized Atiyah-Hitchin metrics, thus providing field-theoretic realizations of string-theory orientifolds.

We study the effect of the infrared (IR) geometry on the phenomenology of warped extra dimensions with gauge and fermion fields in the bulk. We focus in particular on a "mass gap" metric which is AdS in the ultraviolet, but asymptotes to flat space in the IR, breaking conformal symmetry. These metrics can be dialed to approximate well the geometries arising in certain classes of warped string compactifications. We find, similar to our earlier results on the Kaluza-Klein (KK) graviton, that these metrics give rise to phenomenologically significant shifts in the separation of KK gauge modes in the mass spectrum (up to factors of ~2) and their couplings to IR localized fields (up to factors of ~5-10 increase). We find that, despite shifts in the spectra, the constraint m_KK > 3 TeV from S remains robust in the class of 5-d mass gap metrics, and that the change to T is not significant enough to remove the need for custodial symmetry.

We discuss the quantization of a system of slowly-moving extreme Reissner-Nordstrom black holes. In the near-horizon limit, this system has been shown to possess an SL(2,R) conformal symmetry. However, the Hamiltonian appears to have no well-defined ground state. This problem can be circumvented by a redefinition of the Hamiltonian due to de Alfaro, Fubini and Furlan (DFF). We apply the Faddeev-Popov quantization procedure to show that the Hamiltonian with no ground state corresponds to a gauge in which there is an obstruction at the singularities of moduli space requiring a modification of the quantization rules. The redefinition of the Hamiltonian a la DFF corresponds to a different choice of gauge. The latter is a good gauge leading to standard quantization rules. Thus, the DFF trick is a consequence of a standard gauge-fixing procedure in the case of black hole scattering.

The string equivalent of a massless particle ($m=0$) is the tensionless string ($T=0$). The study of such strings is of interest when trying to understand the high energy limit of ordinary strings. I discuss the classical $T\to 0$ limit of the bosonic string, the spinning string and the superstring. A common feature is the appearence of a space-time (super-)conformal symmetry replacing the world-sheet Weyl invariance. The question of whether this symmetry may survive quantization is addressed. A lightcone analysis of the quantized bosonic tensionless string leads to severe constraints on the physical states: they are space-time diffeomorphism singlets characterized by their topological properties only.

Recently, conceptually new physics beyond the Standard Model has been proposed, where a hidden conformal sector provides “unparticle” which couples to the Standard Model sector through higher dimensional operators in low energy effective theory. Among several ...