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Higher-Dimensional Supertranslations and Weinberg's Soft Graviton Theorem

Kapec, Daniel and Lysov, Vyacheslav and Pasterski, Sabrina and Strominger, Andrew (2017) Higher-Dimensional Supertranslations and Weinberg's Soft Graviton Theorem. Annals of Mathematical Sciences and Applications, 2 (1). pp. 69-94. ISSN 2380-288X. doi:10.4310/AMSA.2017.v2.n1.a2. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20150316-144932089

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Abstract

Asymptotic symmetries of theories with gravity in d=2m+2 spacetime dimensions are reconsidered for m>1 in light of recent results concerning d=4 BMS symmetries. Weinberg’s soft graviton theorem in 2m+2 dimensions is re-expressed as a Ward identity for the gravitational S-matrix. The corresponding asymptotic symmetries are identified with 2m+2-dimensional supertranslations. An alternate derivation of these asymptotic symmetries as diffeomorphisms which preserve finite-energy boundary conditions at null infinity and act non-trivially on physical data is given. Our results differ from those of previous analyses whose stronger boundary conditions precluded supertranslations for d>4. We find for all even d that supertranslation symmetry is spontaneously broken in the conventional vacuum and identify soft gravitons as the corresponding Goldstone bosons.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
http://dx.doi.org/10.4310/AMSA.2017.v2.n1.a2DOIArticle
http://intlpress.com/site/pub/pages/journals/items/amsa/content/vols/0002/0001/a002/index.htmlPublisherArticle
http://arxiv.org/abs/1502.07644arXivDiscussion Paper
Additional Information:© 2017 International Press. Submitted on 26 Feb 2015. We are grateful to T. Adamo, T. He, D. Jafferis, P. Mitra, H. Ooguri, A. Porfyriadis, M. Schwartz and A. Zhiboedov for useful conversations. This work was supported in part by NSF grant 1205550 and the Fundamental Laws Initiative at Harvard. The work of V.L. is supported in part by DOE grant DE-SC0011632 and the Sherman Fairchild scholarship. The work of S.P. is supported in part by the Smith Fellowship.
Group:Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
NSFPHY-1205550
Harvard UniversityUNSPECIFIED
Department of Energy (DOE)DE-SC0011632
Sherman Fairchild FoundationUNSPECIFIED
Smith FellowshipUNSPECIFIED
Other Numbering System:
Other Numbering System NameOther Numbering System ID
CALT-TH2015-006
Issue or Number:1
DOI:10.4310/AMSA.2017.v2.n1.a2
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20150316-144932089
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20150316-144932089
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:55814
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Joy Painter
Deposited On:16 Mar 2015 22:03
Last Modified:10 Nov 2021 20:50

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