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Ulf Lindström

Publications and source records attributed to Ulf Lindström.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

(Anti-)De Sitter null strings and Carroll-Weyl symmetry

We construct a $dS_d$ null string in a novel way by lifting the standard tensionless string to $R^{1,d}$. Gauging worldsheet scale symmetry introduces terms in the action breaking translation invariance, but preserving the $dS_d$ symmetry $SO(1,d)$. Choosing a De Sitter symmetric gauge fixing of the scale symmetry yields a $d$ dimensional theory which we show has all the expected properties of $dS_d$ tensionless strings. The action happens to be the intriguing Carrol-Weyl symmetric string action in $R^{1,d}$, now with a clear target space interpretation in $d$ dimensions. That it does not, as recently claimed, represent a ($d+1$)-dimensional string in flat ($d+1$)-dimensional Minkowski space settles an apparent issue with the Carrol-Weyl string model. Furthermore, while there are clear obstacles for similar formulations of tensile strings in (A)dS backgrounds, our new insights are easily modified to the formulation of Anti-De Sitter tensionless strings. That our construction generates a curved geometry purely algebraically may have even wider applications.

hep-th

Ricci-flat metrics from gauged linear $σ$-models without RG flow

We investigate a class of Ricci-flat Kähler metrics on generalized conifolds constructed via gauged linear sigma models (GLSMs) with indefinite signature. By introducing shadow coordinates (superfields) entering the sigma model with negative signature kinetic term, we show that these GLSMs yield explicit Ricci-flat metrics on complex cones over products of projective spaces. We provide a general formula for the resulting Kähler potentials, along with detailed examples. Our results suggest new directions for the study of Calabi-Yau metrics and toric geometry, and raise interesting questions about the geometric meaning of indefinite signature models. We also give an interpretation in terms of a novel generalized Kähler gauging.

hep-th

The conformal null string in $d+2$ and $d$ dimensions

In [arXiv:2605.26185 [hep-th]] it is pointed out how the tensionless string with a gauged scale symmetry discussed in the recent articles, [arXiv:2605.12414 [hep-th]], [arXiv:2605.25817 [hep-th]], [arXiv:2605.26822 [hep-th]], is a reduction of the conformal string [arXiv:hep-th/9410143 [hep-th]] to Minkowski space. Here we corroborate this by choices of slices in Dirac $d+2$ dimensional conformal space. We perform a Dirac reduction of the model and its algebra of constraints and see how they map to the constraints in $d$ dimensions, including how the semidirect product of the Virasoro algebra with a su(1,1) Kac-Moody algebra becomes the Corrollian-Weyl symmetry in $d$ dimensions.

hep-th

Symmetries of tensionless strings

In a recent article, arXiv:2605.12414, it is stated that a certain scale transformation has been "systematically overlooked" in discussions of the tensionless string. Here we point out that this kind of symmetry is treated in numerous places, in the classical as well as the quantum theory.

hep-th

The Large Vector Multiplet and Gauging $(2,2)$ $σ$-models

The Large Vector Multiple (LVM) is the relevant gauge multiplet for gauging isometries acting on both the chiral and the twisted chiral fields in a $(2, 2)$ sigma model. Here we show that a recently proposed new gauge multiplet is a constrained or partially dualized version of the LVM. Gauging using this multiplet results in a $(2, 2)$ $βγ$ system interacting with a sigma model.

hep-th

Gravitational currents and charges from conformal Killing-Yano tensors

We construct a set of higher-form conserved currents on spacetimes admitting conformal Killing-Yano tensors. We find relations between these currents that allow the charge given by integrating one of these currents over a region to be re-expressed as an integral of a covariant quantity over the boundary. In many cases, only a non-covariant form of the boundary integral was previously known. For a special class of these currents the conservation does not rely on field equations, so they give conserved topological charges in any gravitational theory. We discuss the relation of our currents to the Komar current and derive several new properties of conformal Killing-Yano tensors. We study a number of applications of our construction to charges of black hole solutions of Einstein-Maxwell theory, and D-brane solutions of type II supergravity.

hep-th

Super Yang-Mills with partially non-linear extended supersymmetry

We discuss 4D N=2 non-abelian gauge theories where one supersymmetry is preserved while the other one is spontaneously broken and non-linearly realized. The goldstino resides in a Maxwell multiplet of the Bagger-Galperin type. We introduce appropriate constraints that eliminate the chiral N=1 superfield sector of the non-abelian N=2 multiplets and discuss the properties of the leading order Lagrangians.

hep-th

Gauge-invariant charges of the dual graviton

The free graviton theory given by linearising Einstein's theory has a dual formulation in terms of a dual graviton field. The dual graviton theory has two gauge invariances giving rise to two conserved charges, while the ADM charges of the graviton theory become magnetic charges for the dual graviton theory. These charges can be ill-defined in topologically non-trivial settings and we find improvement terms that can be added to these to give gauge-invariant conserved charges. These gauge-invariant charges, which have local expressions in both the graviton and dual graviton formulation, give topological operators of the theory that should be considered as the generators of the genuine symmetries of the theory.

hep-th

Superspace Supergravity

We give a brief, incomplete, and idiosyncratic review of the early years of supergravity in superspace as our contribution to the book Half a Century of Supergravity edited by Anna Ceresole and Gianguido Dall'Agata.

hep-th

Generalised symmetries in linear gravity

Linearised gravity has a global symmetry under which the graviton is shifted by a symmetric tensor satisfying a certain flatness condition. There is also a dual symmetry that can be associated with a global shift symmetry of the dual graviton theory. The corresponding conserved charges are shown to satisfy a centrally-extended algebra. We discuss the gauging of these global symmetries, finding an obstruction to the simultaneous gauging of both symmetries which we interpret as a mixed 't Hooft anomaly for the ungauged theory. We discuss the implications of this, analogous to those resulting from a similar structure in Maxwell theory, and interpret the graviton and dual graviton as Nambu-Goldstone modes for these shift symmetries.

hep-th

Gauging generalised symmetries in linear gravity

The theory of a free spin-2 field on Minkowski spacetime has 1-form and $(d-3)$-form symmetries associated with conserved currents formed by contractions of the linearised Riemann tensor with conformal Killing-Yano 2-forms. We show that a subset of these can be interpreted as Noether currents for specific shift symmetries of the graviton that involve a Killing vector and a closed 1-form parameter. We give a systematic method to gauge these 1-form symmetries by coupling the currents to background gauge fields and introducing a particular set of counter-terms involving the background fields. The simultaneous gauging of certain pairs of 1-form and $(d-3)$-form symmetries is obstructed by the presence of mixed 't Hooft anomalies. The anomalous pairs of symmetries are those which are related by gravitational duality. The implications of these anomalies are discussed.

hep-th

On the maximally symmetric vacua of generic Lovelock gravities

We survey elementary features of Lovelock gravity and its maximally symmetric vacuum solutions. The latter is solely determined by the real roots of a dimension-dependent polynomial. We also recover the static spherically symmetric (black hole) solutions of Lovelock gravity using Palais' symmetric criticality principle. We show how to linearize the generic field equations of Lovelock models about a given maximally symmetric vacuum, which turns out to factorize into the product of yet another dimension-dependent polynomial and the linearized Einstein tensor about the relevant background. We also describe how to compute conserved charges using linearized field equations along with the relevant background Killing isometries. We further describe and discuss the special vacua which are defined by the simultaneous vanishing of the aforementioned polynomials.

gr-qc

Gauge-invariant magnetic charges in linearised gravity

Linearised gravity has magnetic charges carried by (linearised) Kaluza-Klein monopoles. A gauge-invariant expression is found for these charges that is similar to Penrose's gauge-invariant expression for the ADM charges. A systematic search is made for other gauge-invariant charges.

hep-th

Charges and topology in linearised gravity

Covariant conserved 2-form currents for linearised gravity are constructed by contracting the linearised curvature with conformal Killing-Yano tensors. The corresponding conserved charges were originally introduced by Penrose and have recently been interpreted as the generators of generalised symmetries of the graviton. We introduce an off-shell refinement of these charges and find the relation between these improved Penrose charges and the linearised version of the ADM momentum and angular momentum. If the graviton field is globally well-defined on a background Minkowski space then some of the Penrose charges give the momentum and angular momentum while the remainder vanish. We consider the generalisation in which the graviton has Dirac string singularities or is defined locally in patches, in which case the conventional ADM expressions are not invariant under the graviton gauge symmetry in general. We modify them to render them gauge-invariant and show that the Penrose charges give these modified charges plus certain magnetic gravitational charges. We discuss properties of the Penrose charges, generalise to toroidal Kaluza-Klein compactifications and check our results in a number of examples.

hep-th

Yano F structures and extended Supersymmetry in a BiLP

In this paper we look at a sigma model based on the (4, 4) twisted chiral multiplet [3]. It admits two geometric descriptions: The ususal bi-quaternionic geometry on the tangent space and a new geometry involving two Yano F-structures on a doubled tangent space. This analysis sheds light on the recent discussion of semichiral models in [1] and on an upcoming discussion of complex linears.

hep-th

New techniques for Gauge Theories in Projective Superspace

We introduce new techniques for calculations in Gauge theories with extended supersymmetry. We are working in Projective Superspace where the $SU(2)$ R-symmetry is realized geometrically by including an auxilliary $\mathbb{CP}^1$ component in the superspace. Different gauge representations are associated with different dependence on the $\mathbb{CP}^1$ coordinate $ζ$ and using contour integrals on $\mathbb{CP}^1$ we define natural projection operators on these different representations which leads to elegant formulas for all relevant objects. The new techniques lead to compact expressions for lagrangians and field strengths in terms of the gauge prepotential but also to effective ways of reducing superspace expressions to components, i.e. to write them in terms of fields transforming covariantly only under a subgroup of the supersymmetry group. We illustrate our findings in several examples in three and four dimensions.

hep-th

Gravitational duality, Palatini variation and boundary terms: A synopsis

We consider $f(R)$ gravity and Born-Infeld-Einstein (BIE) gravity in formulations where the metric and connection are treated independently and integrate out the metric to find the corresponding models solely in terms of the connection, the archetypical treatment being that of Eddington-Schrödinger (ES) duality between cosmological Einstein and Eddington theories. For dimensions $D\ne2$, we find that this requires $f(R)$ to have a specific form which makes the model Weyl invariant, and that its Eddington reduction is then equivalent to that of BIE with certain parameters. For $D=2$ dimensions, where ES duality is not applicable, we find that both models are Weyl invariant and equivalent to a first order formulation of the bosonic string. We also discuss the form of the boundary terms needed for the variational principle to be well defined on manifolds with non-null boundaries. This requires a modification of the Gibbons-Hawking-York (GHY) boundary term for gravity. This modification also means that the dualities between metric and connection formulations are consistent and include the boundary terms.

gr-qc

Geometry, conformal Killing-Yano tensors and conserved "currents"

In this paper we discuss the construction of conserved tensors (currents) involving conformal Killing-Yano tensors (CKYTs), generalising the corresponding constructions for Killing-Yano tensors (KYTs). As a useful preparation for this, but also of intrinsic interest, we derive identities relating CKYTs and geometric quantities. The behaviour of CKYTs under conformal transformations is also given, correcting formulae in the literature. We then use the identities derived to construct covariantly conserved ``currents''. We find several new CKYT currents and also include a known one by Penrose which shows that ``trivial'' currents are also useful. We further find that rank-$n$ currents based on rank-$n$ CKYTs $k$ must have a simple form in terms of $dk$. By construction, these currents are covariant under a general conformal rescaling of the metric. How currents lead to conserved charges is then illustrated using the Kerr-Newman and the C-metric in four dimensions. Separately, we study a rank-1 current, construct its charge and discuss its relation to the recently constructed Cotton current for the Kerr-Newman black hole.

gr-qc