Symmetries of asymptotically flat 4 dimensional spacetimes at null infinity revisited

Sep, 2009
6 pages
Published in:
  • Phys.Rev.Lett. 105 (2010) 111103
e-Print:
Report number:
  • ULB-TH-09-24

Citations per year

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Abstract: (arXiv)
It is argued that the symmetry algebra of asymptotically flat spacetimes at null infinity in 4 dimensions should be taken as the semi-direct 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.
Note:
  • 7 pages Latex file, references added, comments on Poincare algebra and angular momentum added
  • 04.60.-m
  • 04.20.Ha
  • gravitation: anti-de Sitter
  • field theory: conformal
  • algebra: Lie
  • dimension: 2
  • dimension: 4
  • dimension: 3
  • vector: Killing