A Realization of W gravities in the conformal gauge through generalized Gauss maps

Jan 15, 1991
33 pages
Published in:
  • Int.J.Mod.Phys.A 7 (1992) 317-338
Report number:
  • PRINT-91-0044 (SIMON-FRASER)

Citations per year

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Abstract: (WSP)
String dynamics in ℝn with extrinsic geometry is studied in order to understand their hidden symmetries. String world sheet, realized as a conformal immersion in ℝn, is mapped into the Grassmannian G2, n through the Gauss map. This enables us to study the role of the extrinsic curvature in determining the WSO(n) gravities in the conformal gauge. It is shown that, classically, in ℝ3 and ℝ4 the geometry of surfaces of constant mean curvature densities is equivalent to WSO(n) (n = 3, 4) gravities, the corresponding W algebras being Virasoro (Vir) and Vir ⊕ Vir, respectively.
  • gravitation: W(N)
  • conformal gauge
  • algebra: SO(N,M)
  • string model
  • algebra: Virasoro
  • analytic properties