Weyl Invariance Research Articles

Tearing down spacetime with quantum disentanglement

A longstanding enigma within AdS/CFT concerns the entanglement entropy of holographic quantum fields in Rindler space. The vacuum of a quantum field in Minkowski spacetime can be viewed as an entangled thermofield double of two Rindler wedges at a temperature T = 1/2π. We can gradually disentangle the state by lowering this temperature, and the entanglement entropy should vanish in the limit T → 0 to the Boulware vacuum. However, holography yields a non-zero entanglement entropy at arbitrarily low T, since the bridge in the bulk between the two wedges retains a finite width. We show how this is resolved by bulk quantum effects of the same kind that affect the entropy of near-extremal black holes. Specifically, a Weyl transformation maps the holographic Boulware states to near-extremal hyperbolic black holes. A reduction to an effective two-dimensional theory captures the large quantum fluctuations in the geometry of the bridge, which bring down to zero the density of entangled states in the Boulware vacuum. Using another Weyl transformation, we construct unentangled Boulware states in de Sitter space.

Chiral Meissner state in time-reversal invariant Weyl superconductors

Weyl semimetals have nodes in their electronic structure at which electrons attain a definite chirality. Due to the chiral anomaly, the nonconservation of charges with given chirality, the axion term appears in their effective electromagnetic action. We determine how this affects the properties of time-reversal invariant Weyl superconductors (SCs) in the London regime. For type II SCs the axion coupling generates magnetic B fields transverse to vortices, which become unstable at a critical coupling so that a transition into type I SC ensues. In this regime an applied B field not only decays inside the SC within the London penetration depth, but the axion coupling generates an additional perpendicular field. Consequently, when penetrating into the bulk the B field starts to steadily rotate away from the applied field. At a critical coupling the screening of the magnetic field breaks down. The novel chiral superconducting state that emerges has a periodically divergent susceptibility that separates onsets of chiral Meissner regimes. The chiral anomaly thus leaves very crisp experimental signatures in structurally chiral Weyl SCs with an axion response. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Locally conformally product structures

A locally conformally product (LCP) structure on compact manifold [Formula: see text] is a conformal structure [Formula: see text] together with a closed, non-exact and non-flat Weyl connection [Formula: see text] with reducible holonomy. Equivalently, an LCP structure on [Formula: see text] is defined by a reducible, non-flat, incomplete Riemannian metric [Formula: see text] on the universal cover [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text], with respect to which the fundamental group [Formula: see text] acts by similarities. It was recently proved by Kourganoff that in this case [Formula: see text] is isometric to the Riemannian product of the flat space [Formula: see text] and an incomplete irreducible Riemannian manifold [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we show that for every LCP manifold [Formula: see text], there exists a metric [Formula: see text] such that the Lee form of [Formula: see text] with respect to [Formula: see text] vanishes on vectors tangent to the distribution on [Formula: see text] defined by the flat factor [Formula: see text], and use this fact in order to construct new LCP structures from a given one by taking products. We also establish links between LCP manifolds and number field theory, and use them in order to construct large classes of examples, containing all previously known examples of LCP manifolds constructed by Matveev–Nikolayevsky, Kourganoff and Oeljeklaus–Toma (OT-manifolds).

Quantization of Weyl invariant unimodular gravity with antisymmetric ghost fields

The enforcement of the unimodularity condition in a gravity theory by means of a Lagrange multiplier leads, in general, to inconsistencies upon quantization. This is so, in particular, when the classic linear splitting of the metric between the background and quantum fields is used. To avoid the need of introducing such a Lagrange multiplier while using the classic linear splitting, we carry out the quantization of unimodular gravity with extra Weyl symmetry by using Becchi–Rouet–Stora–Tyutin (BRST) techniques. Here, two gauge symmetries are to be gauge-fixed: transverse diffeomorphisms and Weyl transformations. We perform the gauge-fixing of the transverse diffeomorphism invariance by using BRST transformations that involve antisymmetric ghost fields. We show that these BRST transformations are compatible with the BRST transformations needed to gauge-fix the Weyl symmetry, so that they can be combined in a set of transformations generated by a single BRST operator. Newton’s law of gravitation is derived within the BRST formalism we put forward as well as the Slavnov–Taylor equation.

Universal Definition of the Nonconformal Trace Anomaly.

We show that there exists a generalized, universal notion of the trace anomaly for theories which are not conformally invariant at the classical level. The definition is suitable for any regularization scheme and clearly states to what extent the classical equations of motion should be used, thus resolving existing controversies surrounding previous proposals. Additionally, we exhibit the link between our definition of the anomaly and the functional Jacobian arising from a Weyl transformation.

The Hilbert space of de Sitter quantum gravity

We obtain solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation with positive cosmological constant for a closed universe in the large-volume limit. We argue that this space of solutions provides a complete basis for the Hilbert space of quantum gravity in an asymptotically de Sitter spacetime. Our solutions take the form of a universal phase factor multiplied by distinct diffeomorphism invariant functionals, with simple Weyl transformation properties, that obey the same Ward identities as a CFT partition function. The Euclidean vacuum corresponds to a specific choice of such a functional but other choices are equally valid. Each functional can be thought of as specifying a “theory” and, in this sense, the space of solutions is like “theory space”. We describe another basis for the Hilbert space where all states are represented as excitations of the vacuum that have a specific constrained structure. This gives the finite GN generalization of the basis proposed by Higuchi in terms of group averaging, which we recover in the nongravitational limit.

Trace and diffeomorphism anomalies of the classical Liouville theory, Virasoro algebras, Weyl-gauging and all that

To fully clarify the invariance of the classical Liouville field theory under the Virasoro algebra, we first elucidate in detail the concept of classical anomaly, discuss the occurrence of two symmetry algebras associated to this theory, and provide some new formulae to compute the classical center in a general fashion. We apply this to the study of the symmetries of the free boson in two dimensions. Moving to Liouville, we see how this gives rise to an energy-momentum tensor with non-tensorial conformal transformations, in flat space, and a non-vanishing trace, in curved space. We provide a variety of improvements of the (local) theory, that restore Weyl invariance. With explicit computations, we show that the covariant conservation of the Weyl-invariance-improved energy-momentum tensor is lost, in general, and relate the chosen improvement with the corresponding subset of preserved diffeomorphisms. The non-tensorial transformation rule of the Weyl-invariance-improved energy-momentum tensor in curved space is explicitly back-traced to the Virasoro center.

Consequences of gauging the Weyl symmetry and the two-dimensional conformal anomaly

Consequences of gauging the Weyl symmetry and the two-dimensional conformal anomaly

Chern-Simons action and the Carrollian Cotton tensors

In three-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian manifolds, the Cotton tensor arises as the variation of the gravitational Chern-Simons action with respect to the metric. It is Weyl-covariant, symmetric, traceless and covariantly conserved. Performing a reduction of the Cotton tensor with respect to Carrollian diffeomorphisms in a suitable frame, one discloses four sets of Cotton Carrollian relatives, which are conformal and obey Carrollian conservation equations. Each set of Carrollian Cotton tensors is alternatively obtained as the variation of a distinct Carroll-Chern-Simons action with respect to the degenerate metric and the clock form of a strong Carroll structure. The four Carroll-Chern-Simons actions emerge in the Carrollian reduction of the original Chern-Simons ascendant. They inherit its anomalous behaviour under diffeomorphisms and Weyl transformations. The extremums of these Carrollian actions are commented and illustrated.

Higher group Weyl symmetry

We study a higher group analog of the Weyl symmetry in four-dimensional quantum field theories. A typical example is that the modified transformation of the 2-form background gauge field replaces the operator-valued Weyl anomaly associated with gauging the 0-form global symmetry. It is analogous to the 2-group global symmetry where the modified transformation of the 2-form background gauge field replaces the operator-valued chiral anomaly associated with gauging the 0-form symmetry. The physical origin of the higher group Weyl symmetry is that under the renormalization group flow, the conserved current mixes with the electromagnetic current that couples with the dynamical gauge field. We can express these effects in the local renormalization group equations in a unified manner.

Stretched non-positive Weyl connections on solvable Lie groups

We determine the structure of solvable Lie groups endowed with invariant stretched non-positive Weyl connections and find classes of solvable Lie groups admitting and not admitting such connections. In dimension 4 we fully classify solvable Lie groups which admit invariant SNP Weyl connections.

FeynMG: A FeynRules extension for scalar-tensor theories of gravity

The ability to represent perturbative expansions of interacting quantum field theories in terms of simple diagrammatic rules has revolutionized calculations in particle physics (and elsewhere). Moreover, these rules are readily automated, a process that has catalyzed the rise of symbolic algebra packages. However, in the case of extended theories of gravity, such as scalar-tensor theories, it is necessary to precondition the Lagrangian to apply this automation or, at the very least, to take advantage of existing software pipelines. We present a Mathematica code FeynMG, which works in conjunction with the well-known package FeynRules, to do just that: FeynMG takes as inputs the FeynRules model file for a non-gravitational theory and a user-supplied gravitational Lagrangian. FeynMG provides functionality that inserts the minimal gravitational couplings of the degrees of freedom specified in the model file, determines the couplings of the additional tensor and scalar degrees of freedom (the metric and the scalar field from the gravitational sector), and preconditions the resulting Lagrangian so that it can be passed to FeynRules, either directly or by outputting an updated FeynRules model file. The Feynman rules can then be determined and output through FeynRules, using existing universal output formats and interfaces to other analysis packages. Program summaryProgram title: FeynMGCPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/bjpfmtt55k.1Developer's repository link:https://gitlab.com/feynmg/FeynMGLicensing provisions: MIT licenseProgramming language:Mathematica 13.2Nature of problem: Determining the additional interactions that scalar-tensor theories of gravity induce between the fields of the Standard Model of particle physics and its extensions is a tedious and time-consuming task that is ripe for automation. FeynMG is a package that provides this automation. It can expand the spacetime metric around a flat background and perform the necessary field redefinitions for a given theory in order to provide a Lagrangian that is in a form that can be processed by FeynRules[1]. The Feynman rules for the theory can then be determined using the existing functionality of FeynRules and output in formats that can be read into other particle-physics analysis packages.Solution method: (1) Load both FeynRules and FeynMG into Mathematica. (2) Load a model file describing a given matter sector and Lagrangian. (3) Use the FeynMG implementation to: (3a) append the gravitational sector and incorporate curvature-dependent objects, such as the metric, curvature scalars and tensors, and covariant derivatives; (3b) effect a Weyl transformation or expand the spacetime metric up to second order in graviton interactions with the matter fields; and (3c) diagonalize mass and kinetic mixings, and canonically normalize dynamical fields. (4) Pass the output directly to FeynRules or output a new model file from FeynMG.

Standard Model in conformal geometry: Local vs gauged scale invariance

We discuss comparatively local versus gauged Weyl symmetry beyond Standard Model (SM) and Einstein gravity and their geometric interpretation. The SM and Einstein gravity admit a natural embedding in Weyl integrable geometry which is a special limit of Weyl conformal (non-metric) geometry. The theory has a local Weyl scale symmetry but no associated gauge boson. Unlike previous models with such symmetry, this embedding is truly minimal i.e. with no additional fields beyond SM and underlying geometry. This theory is compared to a similar minimal embedding of SM and Einstein gravity in Weyl conformal geometry (SMW) which has a full gauged scale invariance, with an associated Weyl gauge boson. At large field values, both theories give realistic, Starobinsky–Higgs like inflation. The broken phase of the current model is the decoupling limit of the massive Weyl gauge boson of the broken phase of SMW, while the local scale symmetry of the current model is part of the larger gauged scale symmetry of SMW. Hence, the current theory has a gauge embedding in SMW. Unlike in the SMW, we note that in models with local scale symmetry the associated current is trivial, which is a concern for the physical meaning of this symmetry. Therefore, the SMW is a more fundamental UV completion of SM in a full gauge theory of scale invariance that generates Einstein gravity in the (spontaneously) broken phase, as an effective theory.

Phase space renormalization and finite BMS charges in six dimensions

We perform a complete and systematic analysis of the solution space of six-dimensional Einstein gravity. We show that a particular subclass of solutions — those that are analytic near I\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{I} $$\\end{document}+ — admit a non-trivial action of the generalised Bondi-Metzner-van der Burg-Sachs (GBMS) group which contains infinite-dimensional supertranslations and superrotations. The latter consists of all smooth volume-preserving Diff×Weyl transformations of the celestial S4. Using the covariant phase space formalism and a new technique which we develop in this paper (phase space renormalization), we are able to renormalize the symplectic potential using counterterms which are local and covariant. The Hamiltonian charges corresponding to GBMS diffeomorphisms are non-integrable. We show that the integrable part of these charges faithfully represent the GBMS algebra and in doing so, settle a long-standing open question regarding the existence of infinite-dimensional asymptotic symmetries in higher even dimensional non-linear gravity. Finally, we show that the semi-classical Ward identities for supertranslations and superrotations are precisely the leading and subleading soft-graviton theorems respectively.

Physical charges versus conformal invariance in unimodular gravity

There is a formulation of unimodular gravity (UG) in which the unimodular metric is obtained out of an unrestricted one as [Formula: see text]. This unrestricted metric is only defined up to a Weyl rescaling. Physical charges like ADM energy or horizon entropy, however, are not Weyl invariant in general. In this paper a Weyl invariant definition of some physical charges is given.

Projective transformations in metric-affine and Weylian geometries

We discuss generalizations of the notions of projective transformations acting on affine model of Riemann–Cartan and Riemann–Cartan–Weyl gravity which preserve the projective structure of the light-cones. We show how the invariance under some projective transformations can be used to recast a Riemann–Cartan–Weyl geometry either as a model in which the role of the Weyl gauge potential is played by the torsion vector, which we call torsion-gauging, or as a model with traditional Weyl (conformal) invariance.

The one-loop unimodular graviton propagator in any dimension

For unimodular gravity, we work out, by using dimensional regularization, the complete one-loop correction to the graviton propagator in any space-time dimension. The computation is carried out within the framework where unimodular gravity has Weyl invariance in addition to the transverse diffeomorphism gauge symmetry. Thus, no Lagrange multiplier is introduced to enforce the unimodularity condition. The quantization of the theory is carried out by using the BRST framework and there considering a large continuous family of gauge-fixing terms. The BRST formalism is developed in such a way that the set of ghost, anti-ghost and auxiliary fields and their BRST changes do not depend on the space-time dimension, as befits dimensional regularization. As an application of our general result, and at D = 4, we obtain the renormalized one-loop graviton propagator in the dimensional regularization minimal subtraction scheme. We do so by considering two simplifying gauge-fixing choices.

Disformal symmetry in the Universe: mimetic gravity and beyond

Symmetries play an important role in fundamental physics. In gravity and field theories, particular attention has been paid to Weyl (or conformal) symmetry. However, once the theory contains a scalar field, conformal transformations of the metric can be considered a subclass of a more general type of transformation, so-called disformal transformation. Here, we investigate the implications of pure disformal symmetry in the Universe. We derive the form of general disformal invariant tensors from which we build the most general disformal invariant action. We argue that, in cosmology, disformal symmetry amounts to require that the lapse function is fully replaced by a (time-like) scalar field at the level of the action. We then show that disformal symmetry is in general an exactly equivalent formulation of general mimetic gravity. Lastly, we go beyond mimetic gravity and find that a particular class of invariance leads to seemingly Ostrogradski-like (with higher derivatives) Lagrangians, which are nevertheless absent of Ostrogradski ghosts in a cosmological background, despite having an additional degree of freedom. We also propose an application of our formalism to find new invertible disformal transformations, where the coefficient involves higher derivatives and curvature, further expanding the theory space of scalar-tensor theories.

Addendum: Weyl cocycles, (1986 Class. Quantum Grav. 3 635)

Weyl 0- and 1-cocycles of canonical dimension 6 in six dimensions, which were computed earlier in Bonora et al (1986 Class. Quantum Grav. 3 635), are recalculated from scratch. The analysis yields five Weyl invariants (0-cocycles), instead of four, and the same four non-trivial 1-cocycles (possible trace anomalies), like in that reference (up to the correction of one typo).

A note on the entanglement entropy of primary fermion fields in JT gravity* *Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11975116)

In this paper we analyze and discuss 2D Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity coupled to primary fermion fields in asymptotically anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetimes. We obtain a particular solution of the massless Dirac field outside the extremal black hole horizon and find the solution for the dilaton in JT gravity. As two dimensional JT gravity spacetime is conformally flat, we calculate the two point correlators of primary fermion fields under the Weyl transformations. The primary goal of this work is to present a standard technique, called resolvent, rather than using CFT methods. We redefine the fields in terms of the conformal factor as fermion fields and use the resolvent technique to derive the renormalized entanglement entropy for massless Dirac fields in JT gravity.