Surveying the Three-Dimensional Fixed Points of T-Duality

We explore the family of fixed points of T-Duality transformations in three dimensions. For the simplest nontrivial self-duality conditions it is possible to show that, additionally to the spacelike isometry in which the T-Duality transformation is performed, these backgrounds must be necessarily stationary. This allows to prove that for nontrivial string coupling, the low energy bosonic string backgrounds which are additionally self-T-dual along an isometry direction generated by a constant norm Killing vector are uniquely described by a two-parametric class, including only three nonsingular cases: the charged black string, the exact gravitational wave propagating along the extremal black string, and the flat space with a linear dilaton. Besides, for constant string coupling, the only self-T-dual lower energy string background under the same assumptions corresponds to the Coussaert-Henneaux spacetime. Thus, we identify minimum criteria that yield a classification of these quoted examples and only these. All these T-dual fixed points describe exact backgrounds of string theory.Comment: 11 Page

pp Waves of Conformal Gravity with Self-Interacting Source

Recently, Deser, Jackiw and Pi have shown that three-dimensional conformal gravity with a source given by a conformally coupled scalar field admits pp wave solutions. In this letter, we consider this model with a self-interacting potential preserving the conformal structure. A pp wave geometry is also supported by this system and, we show that this model is equivalent to topologically massive gravity with a cosmological constant whose value is given in terms of the potential strength.Comment: 6 pages, minor changes, accepted in Ann. Phy

Uniqueness of the Jackiw non-Noetherian conformal scalar field

Jackiw was undoubtedly the first to exhibit an example of a scalar field action which is not conformally invariant whereas its equation of motion is. This feature has recently been dubbed as a non-Noetherian conformal scalar field. The paradigmatic example of Jackiw was the generalization to curved spacetime of the two-dimensional Liouville action. Here, we prove that, up to second order, this is the unique example of a non-Noetherian conformal scalar field in two dimensions. We establish this result using an old and somewhat forgotten theorem which is none other than the solution to the inverse problem of the calculus of variations.Comment: We dedicate this note to Prof. Roman Jackiw, the pioneer in the exploration of non-Noetherian conformal scalar fields and a champion of subtle thinking in the wonderland of symmetrie

Scalar Fields Nonminimally Coupled to pp Waves

Here, we report pp waves configurations of three-dimensional gravity for which a scalar field nonminimally coupled to them acts as a source. In absence of self-interaction the solutions are gravitational plane waves with a profile fixed in terms of the scalar wave. In the self-interacting case, only power-law potentials parameterized by the nonminimal coupling constant are allowed by the field equations. In contrast with the free case the self-interacting scalar field does not behave like a wave since it depends only on the wave-front coordinate. We address the same problem when gravitation is governed by topologically massive gravity and the source is a free scalar field. From the pp waves derived in this case, we obtain at the zero topological mass limit, new pp wave solutions of conformal gravity for any arbitrary value of the nonminimal coupling parameter. Finally, we extend these solutions to the self-interacting case of conformal gravity.Comment: 14 pages, RevTeX. Minor changes. To appear in Phys. Rev.