Self-dual Solutions Research Articles

Weyl-Lewis-Papapetrou coordinates, self-dual Yang-Mills equations and the single copy

We consider the dimensional reduction to two dimensions of certain gravitational theories in D ≥ 4 dimensions at the two-derivative level. It is known that the resulting field equations describe an integrable system in two dimensions which can also be obtained by a dimensional reduction of the self-dual Yang-Mills equations in four dimensions. We use this relation to construct a single copy prescription for classes of gravitational solutions in Weyl-Lewis-Papapetrou coordinates. In contrast with previous proposals, we find that the gauge group of the Yang-Mills single copy carries non-trivial information about the gravitational solution. We illustrate our single copy prescription with various examples that include the extremal Reissner-Nordstrom solution, the Kaluza-Klein rotating attractor solution, the Einstein-Rosen wave solution and the self-dual Kleinian Taub-NUT solution.

Higher-spin self-dual General Relativity: 6d and 4d pictures, covariant vs. lightcone

We study the higher-spin extension of self-dual General Relativity (GR) with cosmological constant, proposed by Krasnov, Skvortsov and Tran. We show that this theory is actually a gauge-fixing of a 6d diffeomorphism-invariant Abelian theory, living on (4d spacetime)×(2d spinor space) modulo a finite group. On the other hand, we point out that the theory respects the 4d geometry of a self-dual GR solution, with no backreaction from the higher-spin fields. We also present a lightcone ansatz that reduces the covariant fields to one scalar field for each helicity. The field equations governing these scalars have only cubic vertices. We compare our lightcone ansatz to Metsaev’s lightcone formalism. We conclude with a new perspective on the lightcone formalism in (A)dS spacetime: not merely a complication of its Minkowski-space cousin, it has a built-in Lorentz covariance, and is closely related to Vasiliev’s concept of unfolding.

Self–dual solutions of a field theory model of two linked rings

In this work the connection established in [7,8] between a model of two linked polymers rings with fixed Gaussian linking number forming a 4-plat and the statistical mechanics of non-relativistic anyon particles is explored. The excluded volume interactions have been switched off and only the interactions of entropic origin arising from the topological constraints are considered. An interpretation from the polymer point of view of the field equations that minimize the energy of the model in the limit in which one of the spatial dimensions of the 4-plat becomes very large is provided. It is shown that the self-dual contributions are responsible for the long-range interactions that are necessary for preserving the global topological properties of the system during the thermal fluctuations. The non self-dual part is also related to the topological constraints, and takes into account the local interactions acting on the monomers in order to prevent the breaking of the polymer lines. It turns out that the energy landscape of the two linked rings is quite complex. Assuming as a rough approximation that the monomer densities of half of the 4-plat are constant, at least two points of energy minimum are found. Classes of non-trivial self-dual solutions of the self-dual field equations are derived. One of these classes is characterized by densities of monomers that are the squared modulus of holomorphic functions. The second class is obtained under some assumptions that allow to reduce the self-dual equations to an analog of the Gouy-Chapman equation for the charge distribution of ions in a double layer capacitor. In the present case, the spatial distribution of the electric potential of the ions is replaced by the spatial distribution of the fictitious magnetic fields associated with the presence of the topological constraints. In the limit in which two of the spatial dimensions are large in comparison with the third one, we provide exact formulas for the conformations of the monomer densities of the 4-plat by using the elliptic, hyperbolic and trigonometric solutions of the sinh-Gordon and cosh-Gordon equations which have been used for instance in the construction of classical string solutions in AdS3 and dS3 [9].

Double Kerr-Schild spacetimes and the Newman-Penrose map

The Newman-Penrose map, which is closely related to the classical double copy, associates certain exact solutions of Einstein’s equations with self-dual solutions of the vacuum Maxwell equations. Here we initiate an extension of the Newman-Penrose map to a broader class of spacetimes. As an example, we apply principles from the Newman-Penrose map to associate a self-dual gauge field to the Kerr-Taub-NUT-(A)dS spacetime and we show that the result agrees with previously studied examples of classical double copies. The corresponding field strength exhibits a discrete electric-magnetic duality that is distinct from its (Hodge star) self-dual property.

Isometries and the double copy

In the standard derivation of the Kerr-Schild double copy, the geodicity of the Kerr-Schild vector and the stationarity of the spacetime are presented as assumptions that are necessary for the single copy to satisfy Maxwell’s equations. However, it is well known that the vacuum Einstein equations imply that the Kerr-Schild vector is geodesic and shear-free, and that the spacetime possesses a distinguished vector field that is simultaneously a Killing vector of the full spacetime and the flat background, but need not be timelike with respect to the background metric. We show that the gauge field obtained by contracting this distinguished Killing vector with the Kerr-Schild graviton solves the vacuum Maxwell equations, and that this definition of the Kerr-Schild double copy implies the Weyl double copy when the spacetime is Petrov type D. When the Killing vector is taken to be timelike with respect to the background metric, we recover the familiar Kerr-Schild double copy, but the prescription is well defined for any vacuum Kerr-Schild spacetime and we present new examples where the Killing vector is null or spacelike. While most examples of physical interest are type D, vacuum Kerr-Schild spacetimes are generically of Petrov type II. We present a straightforward example of such a spacetime and study its double copy structure. Our results apply to real Lorentzian spacetimes as well as complex spacetimes and real spacetimes with Kleinian signature, and provide a simple correspondence between real and self-dual vacuum Kerr-Schild spacetimes. This correspondence allows us to study the double copy structure of a self-dual analog of the Kerr spacetime. We provide evidence that this spacetime may be diffeomorphic to the self-dual Taub-NUT solution.

Multi-fractional instantons in SU(N) Yang-Mills theory on the twisted T4\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\mathbbm{T}}^4 $$\\end{document}

We construct analytical self-dual Yang-Mills fractional instanton solutions on a four-torus T4\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\mathbbm{T}}^4 $$\\end{document} with ’t Hooft twisted boundary conditions. These instantons possess topological charge Q=rN\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ Q=\\frac{r}{N} $$\\end{document}, where 1 ≤ r < N. To implement the twist, we employ SU(N) transition functions that satisfy periodicity conditions up to center elements and are embedded into SU(k) × SU(ℓ) × U(1) ⊂ SU(N), where ℓ + k = N. The self-duality requirement imposes a condition, kL1L2 = rℓL3L4, on the lengths of the periods of T4\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\mathbbm{T}}^4 $$\\end{document} and yields solutions with abelian field strengths. However, by introducing a detuning parameter ∆ ≡ (rℓL3L4 – kL1L2)/L1L2L3L4\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sqrt{L_1{L}_2{L}_3{L}_4} $$\\end{document}, we generate self-dual nonabelian solutions on a general T4\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\mathbbm{T}}^4 $$\\end{document} as an expansion in powers of ∆. We explore the moduli spaces associated with these solutions and find that they exhibit intricate structures. Solutions with topological charges greater than 1N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\frac{1}{N} $$\\end{document} and k ≠ r possess non-compact moduli spaces, along which the O∆\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{O}\\left(\\Delta \\right) $$\\end{document} gauge-invariant densities exhibit runaway behavior. On the other hand, solutions with Q=rN\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ Q=\\frac{r}{N} $$\\end{document} and k = r have compact moduli spaces, whose coordinates correspond to the allowed holonomies in the SU(r) color space. These solutions can be represented as a sum over r lumps centered around the r distinct holonomies, thus resembling a liquid of instantons. In addition, we show that each lump supports 2 adjoint fermion zero modes.

Universality in binary black hole dynamics: An integrability conjecture

The waveform of a binary black hole coalescence appears to be both simple and universal. In this essay we argue that the dynamics should admit a separation into “fast and slow” degrees of freedom, such that the latter are described by an integrable system of equations, accounting for the simplicity and universality of the waveform. Given that Painlevé transcendents are a smoking gun of integrable structures, we propose the Painlevé-II transcendent as the key structural element threading a hierarchy of asymptotic models aiming at capturing different (effective) layers in the dynamics. Ward’s conjecture relating integrable and (anti-)self-dual solutions can provide the avenue to encode background binary black hole data in (nonlocal) twistor structures.

A Selberg zeta function for warped AdS3 black holes

The Selberg zeta function and trace formula are powerful tools used to calculate kinetic operator spectra and quasinormal modes on hyperbolic quotient spacetimes. In this article, we extend this formalism to non-hyperbolic quotients by constructing a Selberg zeta function for warped AdS3 black holes. We also consider the so-called self-dual solutions, which are of interest in connection to near-horizon extremal Kerr. We establish a map between the zeta function zeroes and the quasinormal modes on warped AdS3 black hole backgrounds. In the process, we use a method involving conformal coordinates and the symmetry structure of the scalar Laplacian to construct a warped version of the hyperbolic half-space metric, which to our knowledge is new and may have interesting applications of its own, which we describe. We end by discussing several future directions for this work, such as computing 1-loop determinants (which govern quantum corrections) on the quotient spacetimes we consider, as well as adapting the formalism presented here to more generic orbifolds.

SU(N) fractional instantons and the Fibonacci sequence

We study, by means of numerical methods, new SU(N) self-dual instanton solutions on R × T3 with fractional topological charge Q = 1/N. They are obtained on a box with twisted boundary conditions with a very particular choice of twist: both the number of colours and the ’t Hooft ZN fluxes piercing the box are taken within the Fibonacci sequence, i.e. N = Fn (the nth number in the series) and left|overrightarrow{m}right| = left|overrightarrow{k}right| = Fn−2. Various arguments based on previous works and in particular on ref. [1], indicate that this choice of twist avoids the breakdown of volume independence in the large N limit. These solutions become relevant on a Hamiltonian formulation of the gauge theory, where they represent vacuum-to-vacuum tunneling events lifting the degeneracy between electric flux sectors present in perturbation theory. We discuss the large N scaling properties of the solutions and evaluate various gauge invariant quantities like the action density or Wilson and Polyakov loop operators.

Twistor space origins of the Newman-Penrose map

Recently, we introduced the “Newman-Penrose map”, a novel correspondence between a certain class of solutions of Einstein’s equations and self-dual solutions of the vacuum Maxwell equations, which we showed was closely related to the classical double copy. Here, we give an alternative definition of this correspondence in terms of quantities that are defined naturally on twistor space, and a shear-free null geodesic congruence on Minkowski space whose twistorial character is articulated by the Kerr theorem. The advantage of this reformulation is that it is purely geometrical in nature, being manifestly invariant under both spacetime diffeomorphisms and projective transformations on twistor space. While the original formulation of the map may be more convenient for most explicit calculations, the twistorial formulation we present here may be of greater theoretical utility.

Notes on self-dual gravity

In this paper, we study self-dual gravity in the Newman-Penrose formalism. We specify the self-dual solution space from the Newman-Unti solutions. We show that the asymptotic symmetries of the self-dual gravity are still the (extended) BMS symmetries. We transform the self-dual Taub-NUT solution into the Newman-Unti gauge in analytical form.

A model of non-minimally coupled gravitation and electromagnetism in (1+2) dimensions

Following earlier works of Dereli and collaborators, we study a three dimensional toy model where we extend the topologically massive gravity with electrodynamics by the most general RF 2-type non-minimal coupling terms. Here R denotes the possible curvature terms and F denotes the electromagnetic 2-form. We derive the variational feld equations and look for exact solutions on constant negative curvature space-times with a constant, self-dual electromagnetic feld. The notion of self-dual electromagnetic felds in three dimensions is introduced by Dereli and collaborators in the study of exact solutions of models with gravity-electromagnetism couplings. We note the conditions that the parameters of the model have to satisfy for these self-dual solutions to exist.

Generalized self-duality for the Yang-Mills-Higgs system

Self-duality is a very important concept in the study and applications of topological solitons in many areas of Physics. The rich mathematical structures underlying it lead, in many cases, to the development of exact and non-perturbative methods. We present a generalization of the Yang-Mills-Higgs system by the introduction of scalar fields assembled in a symmetric and invertible matrix h of the same dimension as the gauge group. The coupling of such new fields to the gauge and Higgs fields is made by replacing the Killing form, in the contraction of the group indices, by the matrix h in the kinetic term for the gauge fields, and by its inverse in the Higgs field kinetic term. The theory is conformally invariant in the three dimensional space R^3. An important aspect of the model is that for practically all configurations of the gauge and Higgs fields the new scalar fields adjust themselves to solve the modified self-duality equations. We construct solutions using a spherically symmetric ans\"atz and show that the 't Hooft-Polyakov monopole becomes a self-dual solution of such modified Yang-Mills-Higgs system. We use an ans\"atz based on the conformal symmetry to construct vacuum solutions presenting non-trivial toroidal magnetic fields.

MHV amplitudes and BCFW recursion for Yang-Mills theory in the de Sitter static patch

We study the scattering problem in the static patch of de Sitter space, i.e. the problem of field evolution between the past and future horizons of a de Sitter observer. We formulate the problem in terms of off-shell fields in Poincare coordinates. This is especially convenient for conformal theories, where the static patch can be viewed as a flat causal diamond, with one tip at the origin and the other at timelike infinity. As an important example, we consider Yang-Mills theory at tree level. We find that static-patch scattering for Yang-Mills is subject to BCFW-like recursion relations. These can reduce any static-patch amplitude to one with N−1MHV helicity structure, dressed by ordinary Minkowski amplitudes. We derive all the N−1MHV static-patch amplitudes from self-dual Yang-Mills field solutions. Using the recursion relations, we then derive from these an infinite set of MHV amplitudes, with arbitrary number of external legs.

Taub-NUT solutions in conformal electrodynamics

We construct a novel charged Taub-NUT spacetime, providing a first non-trivial example of a self-gravitating solution to the recently proposed ModMax theory [1,2], the most general (1-parametric) theory of non-linear electrodynamics that is characterized by both the conformal symmetry and the SO(2) duality-rotation invariance. The spacetime features non-trivial magnetic fields, in their presence the non-linearity of the field becomes apparent and the solution is distinguished from that of the Maxwell theory. The thermodynamics of the new solution, the charged black hole limit of vanishing NUT parameter, and the self-dual solutions are also briefly discussed.

The Newman-Penrose map and the classical double copy

Gauge-gravity duality is arguably our best hope for understanding quantum gravity. Considerable progress has been made in relating scattering amplitudes in certain gravity theories to those in gauge theories — a correspondence dubbed the double copy. Recently, double copies have also been realized in a classical setting, as maps between exact solutions of gauge theories and gravity. We present here a novel map between a certain class of real, exact solutions of Einstein’s equations and self-dual solutions of the flat-space vacuum Maxwell equations. This map, which we call the Newman-Penrose map, is well-defined even for non-vacuum, non-stationary spacetimes, providing a systematic framework for exploring gravity solutions in the context of the double copy that have not been previously studied in this setting. To illustrate this, we present here the Newman- Penrose map for the Schwarzschild and Kerr black holes, and Kinnersley’s photon rocket.

Real Killing spinors in neutral signature

Spinorial geometry methods are used to classify solutions admitting Majorana Killing spinors of the minimal 4-dimensional supergravity in neutral signature, with van- ishing cosmological constant and a single Maxwell field strength. Two classes of solutions preserving the minimal amount of supersymmetry are found. The first class admits a null- K¨ahler structure and corresponds to a class of self-dual solutions found by Bryant. The second class admits a null and rotation-free geodesic congruence with respect to which a parallel frame can be chosen. Examples of solutions in the former class are pseudo-hyper- K¨ahler manifolds; and examples in the latter class include self-dual solutions, as well as a neutral-signature IWP-type solution.

Self-dual solitons in a generalized Chern-Simons baby Skyrme model

We have shown the existence of self-dual solitons in a type of generalized Chern-Simons baby Skyrme model where the generalized function (depending only in the Skyrme field) is coupled to the sigma-model term. The consistent implementation of the Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) formalism requires the generalizing function becomes the superpotential defining properly the self-dual potential. Thus, we have obtained a topological energy lower-bound (Bogomol'nyi bound) and the self-dual equations satisfied by the fields saturating such a bound. The Bogomol'nyi bound being proportional to the topological charge of the Skyrme field is quantized whereas the total magnetic flux is not. Such as expected in a Chern-Simons model the total magnetic flux and the total electrical charge are proportional to each other. Thus, by considering the superpotential a well-behaved function in the whole target space we have shown the existence of three types of self-dual solutions: compacton solitons, soliton solutions whose tail decays following an exponential-law $e^{-\alpha r^{2}}$ ($\alpha>0$), and solitons having a power-law decay $r^{-\beta}$ ($\beta>0$). The profiles of the two last solitons can exhibit a compactonlike behavior. The self-dual equations have been solved numerically and we have depicted the soliton profiles, commenting on the main characteristics exhibited by them.

Self-dual sectors for scalar field theories in (1 + 1) dimensions

We use ideas of generalized self-duality conditions to construct real scalar field theories in (1 + 1)-dimensions with exact self dual sectors. The approach is based on a pre-potential U that defines the topological charge and the potential energy of these theories. In our algebraic method to construct the required pre-potentials we use the representation theory of Lie groups. This approach leads naturally to an infinite set of degenerate vacua and so to topologically non-trivial self-dual solutions of these models. We present explicit examples for the groups SU(2), SU(3) and SO(5) and discuss some properties of these solutions.

Pontryagin Term and Magnetic Mass in 4D AdS Gravity

In the context of the anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence, 4D AdS gravity is suitably renormalized by adding the Gauss Bonnet term to the Einstein-Hilbert action. The subsequent addition of the Pontryagin term, with a specific coupling, allows to write the on-shell action in terms of the Weyl tensor and its dual, such that the action becomes stationary for asymptotic (anti) self-dual solutions in the Weyl tensor. The addition to the action of both topological invariants mentioned above does not modify the bulk dynamics, but it does modify the expression of the Noether current and, therefore, the conserved quantities of the theory. Here, we show that the method of Iyer and Wald leads to a fully-covariant Noether charge, which contains both the electric and magnetic parts of the Weyl tensor. For configurations which are globally (anti) self-dual in the Weyl tensor, both the action and the Noether charge identically vanish. This means that, for such spacetimes, the magnetic mass is equal to the electric mass.