On symplectic form for null boundary phase space

Abstract

To formulate gravity in spacetimes bounded by a null boundary, an arbitrary hypothetical null surface, boundary degrees of freedom (d.o.f) should be added to account for the d.o.f and dynamics in the spacetime regions excised behind the null boundary. In the D dimensional example, boundary d.o.f are labelled by D charges defined at D-2 dimensional spacelike slices at the null boundary. While boundary modes can have their own boundary dynamics, their interaction with the bulk modes is governed by flux-balance equations which may be interpreted as a diffusion equation describing "dissolution" of bulk gravitons into the boundary. From boundary viewpoint, boundary d.o.f obey local thermodynamical equations at the boundary. Our description suggests a new "semiclassical" quantization of the system in which boundary d.o.f are quantized while bulk is classical. This semiclassical treatment may be relevant to questions in black hole physics.