Search arXivSearch

arXiv · hep-th/9407119

A 2D Inspired 4D Theory of Gravity

Abstract

Coadjoint orbits of the Virasoro and Kac-Moody algebras provide geometric actions for matter coupled to gravity and gauge fields in two dimensions. However, the Gauss' law constraints that arise from these actions are not necessarily endemic to two-dimensional topologies. Indeed the constraints associated with Yang-Mills naturally arise from the coadjoint orbit construction of the WZW model. One may in fact use a Yang-Mills theory to provide dynamics to the otherwise fixed coadjoint vectors that define the orbits. In this letter we would like to exhibit an analogue of the Yang-Mills classical action for the diffeomorphism sector. With this analogue one may postulate a 4D theory of gravitation that is related to an underlying two dimensional theory. Instead of quadratic differentials, a (1,3) pseudo tensor becomes the dynamical variable. We briefly discuss how this tensor may be classically coupled to matter.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

V. G. J. Rodgers. 1994-07-22. A 2D Inspired 4D Theory of Gravity. https://doi.org/10.1016/0370-2693(94)90543-6

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Holographic Schwinger effect with Translational Symmetry Breaking

We investigate the holographic Schwinger effect in a background with translational symmetry breaking (TSB) at finite chemical potential. The gravitational background is characterized by two independent parameters: the TSB parameter \(α\), which controls momentum relaxation, and the chemical potential \(μ\), which determines the finite density of the dual field theory. Using the potential analysis method, we derive the total potential governing the pair production process and examine its dependence on \(α\), \(μ\), the external magnetic field, and the ratio \(β=E/E_c\). Our results show that the effects of \(α\) and \(μ\) on the Schwinger process strongly depend on the dynamical regime. In the subcritical regime, increasing either \(α\) or \(μ\) lowers the potential barrier and facilitates pair production. However, near and above the critical electric field, the roles of these two parameters become qualitatively different. While increasing the chemical potential lowers the total potential and enhances the Schwinger pair production process, increasing the translational symmetry breaking parameter shifts the potential upward and suppresses the production process. We further show that, at fixed $β=E/E_c$, a perpendicular external magnetic field lowers the effective potential barrier and thereby facilitates the Schwinger process, while the physical electric field changes accordingly through the magnetic-field dependence of $E_c$. The corresponding pair production rate is not independently calculated; instead, its qualitative behavior is characterized through a proxy derived from the total potential. Overall, our analysis provides a comprehensive picture of how translational symmetry breaking, finite density, and external magnetic fields influence holographic non-perturbative pair production.

hep-th

One-loop Corrected Holographic Shear Viscosity to Entropy Density Ratio at Low Temperatures

Near-extremal black holes contain infrared-enhanced quantum fluctuations in their near-horizon near-AdS$_2$ throat, governed in part by Schwarzian modes. We study the effect of these fluctuations on the zero-frequency stress-tensor response of a near-extremal asymptotically AdS$_4$ Reissner--Nordström black brane whose transverse directions are regulated by a finite toroidal quotient. Working directly in four dimensions, we compute the leading correction in the weakly coupled Schwarzian regime $T_q\ll T\ll r_0/L^2$. At one loop, the shear perturbation couples to the $n=2$ would-be zero mode and produces a correction proportional to $T_q/T$. Together with the logarithmic correction to the entropy, this yields a finite-volume correction to $η/s$. Our calculation provides a direct four-dimensional benchmark, complementary to exact two-dimensional treatments, while keeping the asymptotic AdS$_4$ source explicit.

hep-th

Families of Hitchin Systems in Type-D

The Coulomb branch geometry of a 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ SCFT is encoded in the data of a complex integrable system. In class-S, this is the Hitchin System (of ADE type) on the punctured curves $C$ on which we compactified from 6d to 4d. As we vary the complex structure of $C$, these fit together to form a (nontrivial!) bundle of Hitchin systems over the moduli space of complex structures of $C$ (the ``conformal manifold'' of the family of SCFTs). We carry out that construction for type-D. Compared to the type-A case, the construction is much more complicated because of local constraints at the punctures. Those local constraints were studied in [1]. Here, we work out their implications for the global bundle of spectral (Seiberg-Witten) curves.

hep-th