Corners of gravity: the case of gravity as a constrained BF theory

Following recent works on corner charges we investigate the boundary structure in the case of the theory of gravity formulated as a constrained BF theory. This allows us not only to introduce the cosmological constant, but also explore the influence of the topological terms present in the action of this theory. Established formulas for charges resemble previously obtained ones, but we show that they are affected by the presence of the cosmological constant and topological terms. As an example we discuss the charges in the case of the AdS-Schwarzschild solution and we find that the charges give correct values.

Spin Current in BF Theory

In this paper, a current that is called spin current and corresponds to the variation of the matter action in BF theory with respect to the spin connection A which takes values in Lie algebra so(3,C), in self-dual formalism is introduced. For keeping the 2-form Bi constraint (covariant derivation) DBi=0 satisfied, it is suggested adding a new term to the BF Lagrangian using a new field ψi, which can be used for calculating the spin current. The equations of motion are derived and the solutions are dicussed. It is shown that the solutions of the equations do not require a specific metric on the 4-manifold M, and one just needs to know the symmetry of the system and the information about the spin current. Finally, the solutions for spherically and cylindrically symmetric systems are found.

Non-relativistic and Carrollian limits of Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity

We construct the non-relativistic and Carrollian versions of Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity. In the second order formulation, there are no divergences in the non-relativistic and Carrollian limits. Instead, in the first order formalism, some divergences can be avoided by starting from a relativistic BF theory with (A)dS2 × ℝ gauge algebra. We show how to define the boundary duals of the gravity actions using the method of non-linear realisations and suitable Inverse Higgs constraints. In particular, the non-relativistic version of the Schwarzian action is constructed in this way. We derive the asymptotic symmetries of the theory, as well as the corresponding conserved charges and Newton-Cartan geometric structure. Finally, we show how the same construction applies to the Carrollian case.

Edge modes of gravity. Part III. Corner simplicity constraints

In the tetrad formulation of gravity, the so-called simplicity constraints play a central role. They appear in the Hamiltonian analysis of the theory, and in the Lagrangian path integral when constructing the gravity partition function from topological BF theory. We develop here a systematic analysis of the corner symplectic structure encoding the symmetry algebra of gravity, and perform a thorough analysis of the simplicity constraints. Starting from a precursor phase space with Poincaré and Heisenberg symmetry, we obtain the corner phase space of BF theory by imposing kinematical constraints. This amounts to fixing the Heisenberg frame with a choice of position and spin operators. The simplicity constraints then further reduce the Poincaré symmetry of the BF phase space to a Lorentz subalgebra. This picture provides a particle-like description of (quantum) geometry: the internal normal plays the role of the four-momentum, the Barbero-Immirzi parameter that of the mass, the flux that of a relativistic position, and the frame that of a spin harmonic oscillator. Moreover, we show that the corner area element corresponds to the Poincaré spin Casimir. We achieve this central result by properly splitting, in the continuum, the corner simplicity constraints into first and second class parts. We construct the complete set of Dirac observables, which includes the generators of the local $$ \mathfrak{sl}\left(2,\mathrm{\mathbb{C}}\right) $$ sl 2 ℂ subalgebra of Poincaré, and the components of the tangential corner metric satisfying an $$ \mathfrak{sl}\left(2,\mathrm{\mathbb{R}}\right) $$ sl 2 ℝ algebra. We then present a preliminary analysis of the covariant and continuous irreducible representations of the infinite-dimensional corner algebra. Moreover, as an alternative path to quantization, we also introduce a regularization of the corner algebra and interpret this discrete setting in terms of an extended notion of twisted geometries.

Schwarzian quantum mechanics as a Drinfeld-Sokolov reduction of BF theory

We give an interpretation of the holographic correspondence between two-dimensional BF theory on the punctured disk with gauge group PSL(2, ℝ) and Schwarzian quantum mechanics in terms of a Drinfeld-Sokolov reduction. The latter, in turn, is equivalent to the presence of certain edge states imposing a first class constraint on the model. The constrained path integral localizes over exceptional Virasoro coadjoint orbits. The reduced theory is governed by the Schwarzian action functional generating a Hamiltonian S1-action on the orbits. The partition function is given by a sum over topological sectors (corresponding to the exceptional orbits), each of which is computed by a formal Duistermaat-Heckman integral.

Edge modes of gravity. Part II. Corner metric and Lorentz charges

In this second paper of the series we continue to spell out a new program for quantum gravity, grounded in the notion of corner symmetry algebra and its representations. Here we focus on tetrad gravity and its corner symplectic potential. We start by performing a detailed decomposition of the various geometrical quantities appearing in BF theory and tetrad gravity. This provides a new decomposition of the symplectic potential of BF theory and the simplicity constraints. We then show that the dynamical variables of the tetrad gravity corner phase space are the internal normal to the spacetime foliation, which is conjugated to the boost generator, and the corner coframe field. This allows us to derive several key results. First, we construct the corner Lorentz charges. In addition to sphere diffeomorphisms, common to all formulations of gravity, these charges add a local $$ \mathfrak{sl} $$ sl (2, ℂ) component to the corner symmetry algebra of tetrad gravity. Second, we also reveal that the corner metric satisfies a local $$ \mathfrak{sl} $$ sl (2, ℝ) algebra, whose Casimir corresponds to the corner area element. Due to the space-like nature of the corner metric, this Casimir belongs to the unitary discrete series, and its spectrum is therefore quantized. This result, which reconciles discreteness of the area spectrum with Lorentz invariance, is proven in the continuum and without resorting to a bulk connection. Third, we show that the corner phase space explains why the simplicity constraints become non-commutative on the corner. This fact requires a reconciliation between the bulk and corner symplectic structures, already in the classical continuum theory. Understanding this leads inevitably to the introduction of edge modes.

Topological holography: The example of the D2-D4 brane system

We propose a toy model for holographic duality. The model is constructed by embedding a stack of NN D2-branes and KK D4-branes (with one dimensional intersection) in a 6d topological string theory. The world-volume theory on the D2-branes (resp. D4-branes) is 2d BF theory (resp. 4D Chern-Simons theory) with \mathrm{GL}_NGLN (resp. \mathrm{GL}_KGLK) gauge group. We propose that in the large NN limit the BF theory on \mathbb{R}^2ℝ2 is dual to the closed string theory on \mathbb{R}^2 \times \mathbb{R}_+ \times S^3ℝ2×ℝ+×S3 with the Chern-Simons defect on \mathbb{R} \times \mathbb{R}_+ \times S^2ℝ×ℝ+×S2. As a check for the duality we compute the operator algebra in the BF theory, along the D2-D4 intersection – the algebra is the Yangian of \mathfrak{gl}_K𝔤𝔩K. We then compute the same algebra, in the guise of a scattering algebra, using Witten diagrams in the Chern-Simons theory. Our computations of the algebras are exact (valid at all loops). Finally, we propose a physical string theory construction of this duality using D3-D5 brane configuration in type IIB – using supersymmetric twist and \OmegaΩ-deformation.

Topologically Protected Duality on The Boundary of Maxwell-BF Theory

The Maxwell-BF theory with a single-sided planar boundary is considered in Euclidean four-dimensional spacetime. The presence of a boundary breaks the Ward identities, which describe the gauge symmetries of the theory, and, using standard methods of quantum field theory, the most general boundary conditions and a nontrivial current algebra on the boundary are derived. The electromagnetic structure, which characterizes the boundary, is used to identify the three-dimensional degrees of freedom, which turn out to be formed by a scalar field and a vector field, related by a duality relation. The induced three-dimensional theory shows a strong–weak coupling duality, which separates different regimes described by different covariant actions. The role of the Maxwell term in the bulk action is discussed, together with the relevance of the topological nature of the bulk action for the boundary physics.