On presymplectic structures for massless higher-spin fields

A natural presymplectic structure for non-Lagrangian equations of motion governing the dynamics of free higher-spin fields in four-dimensional anti-de Sitter space is proposed. This presymplectic structure is then used to the derivation of the conserved currents associated with the relativistic invariance and to the construction of local functionals of fields that are gauge invariant on shell.Comment: 28 pages; V2 - a section on weak Lagrangians and some references adde

Variational tricomplex of a local gauge system, Lagrange structure and weak Poisson bracket

We introduce the concept of a variational tricomplex, which is applicable both to variational and non-variational gauge systems. Assigning this tricomplex with an appropriate symplectic structure and a Cauchy foliation, we establish a general correspondence between the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian pictures of one and the same (not necessarily variational) dynamics. In practical terms, this correspondence allows one to construct the generating functional of weak Poisson structure starting from that of Lagrange structure. As a byproduct, a covariant procedure is proposed for deriving the classical BRST charge of the BFV formalism by a given BV master action. The general approach is illustrated by the examples of Maxwell's electrodynamics and chiral bosons in two dimensions.Comment: 34 pages, v2 minor correction

A∞A_\infty Algebras from Slightly Broken Higher Spin Symmetries

We define a class of $A_\infty$-algebras that are obtained by deformations of higher spin symmetries. While higher spin symmetries of a free CFT form an associative algebra, the slightly broken higher spin symmetries give rise to a minimal $A_\infty$-algebra extending the associative one. These $A_\infty$-algebras are related to non-commutative deformation quantization much as the unbroken higher spin symmetries result from the conventional deformation quantization. In the case of three dimensions there is an additional parameter that the $A_\infty$-structure depends on, which is to be related to the Chern-Simons level. The deformations corresponding to the bosonic and fermionic matter lead to the same $A_\infty$-algebra, thus manifesting the three-dimensional bosonization conjecture. In all other cases we consider, the $A_\infty$-deformation is determined by a generalized free field in one dimension lower.Comment: 48 pages, some pictures; typos fixed, presentation improve

BRST theory without Hamiltonian and Lagrangian

We consider a generic gauge system, whose physical degrees of freedom are obtained by restriction on a constraint surface followed by factorization with respect to the action of gauge transformations; in so doing, no Hamiltonian structure or action principle is supposed to exist. For such a generic gauge system we construct a consistent BRST formulation, which includes the conventional BV Lagrangian and BFV Hamiltonian schemes as particular cases. If the original manifold carries a weak Poisson structure (a bivector field giving rise to a Poisson bracket on the space of physical observables) the generic gauge system is shown to admit deformation quantization by means of the Kontsevich formality theorem. A sigma-model interpretation of this quantization algorithm is briefly discussed.Comment: 19 pages, minor correction