Gravitational Wu-Yang monopoles

Abstract

We show that in an asymptotically flat space where an S-Matrix can be defined, dual supertranslations leave all its matrix elements invariant and the Hilbert space of asymptotic states factorizes into distinct super-selection sectors, labeled by their dual supertranslation charges. These results suggest that dual supertranslation may be interpreted as a redundant gauge symmetry of asymptotically flat spacetimes. This would allow to recast general relativity as a theory of diffeomorphisms possessing an additional asymptotic gauge symmetry. We then use the conjectured dual supertranslation gauge symmetry to construct a gravitational equivalent of the Wu-Yang monopole solution. The metric describing the solution is defined using two overlapping patches on the celestial sphere. The solution is regular on each one of the patches separately and differentiable in the overlap region, where the two descriptions are identical by virtue of a dual supertranslation gauge transformation. Our construction provides an alternative to Misner's interpretation of the Taub-NUT metric. In particular, we find that using our approach the Taub-NUT metric can be made regular everywhere on the celestial sphere and at the same time it is devoid of closed timelike curves, provided that the bound $\frac{m}{\ell} \leq \sqrt{\frac{5}{27}}$ on the ratio of mass to NUT charge is obeyed.