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arXiv · 2304.03211

Kac-Moody symmetry in the light front of gauge theories

Hernán A. González·Oriana Labrin·Olivera Miskovic
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Abstract

We discuss the emergence of a new symmetry generator in a Hamiltonian realisation of four-dimensional gauge theories in the flat space foliated by retarded (advanced) time. It generates an asymptotic symmetry that acts on the asymptotic fields in a way different from the usual large gauge transformations. The improved canonical generators, corresponding to gauge and asymptotic symmetries, form a classical Kac-Moody charge algebra with a non-trivial central extension. In particular, we describe the case of electromagnetism, where the charge algebra is the $\mathrm{U}(1)$ current algebra with a level proportional to the coupling constant of the theory, $\kappa=4\pi^2/e^2$. We construct bilinear generators yielding Virasoro algebras on the null boundary. We also provide a non-Abelian generalization of the previous symmetries by analysing the evolution of Yang-Mills theory in Bondi coordinates.

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Hernán A. González, Oriana Labrin, Olivera Miskovic. 2023-04-06. Kac-Moody symmetry in the light front of gauge theories. https://doi.org/10.1007/jhep06(2023)165

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