Duality in linearized gravity and holography

We consider spherical gravitational perturbations of AdS4 space-time satisfying general boundary conditions at spatial infinity. Using the holographic renormalization method, we compute the energy-momentum tensor and show that it can always be cast in the form of Cotton tensor for a dual boundary metric. In particular, axial and polar perturbations obeying the same boundary conditions for the effective Schrodinger wave-functions exhibit an energy-momentum/Cotton tensor duality at conformal infinity. We demonstrate explicitly that this is holographic manifestation of the electric/magnetic duality of linearized gravity in the bulk, which simply exchanges axial with polar perturbations of AdS4 space-time. We note on the side that this particular realization of gravitational duality is also valid for perturbations near flat and dS4 space-time, depending on the value of cosmological constant.Comment: 22 pages; a few clarifying remarks added at the end of section 6; missing factor sin^2 \theta inserted in eqs. (6.15) and (6.20) (version to be published in Class. Quant. Grav.

On the integrability of spherical gravitational waves in vacuum

The general class of Robinson-Trautman metrics that describe gravitational radiation in the exterior of bounded sources in four space-time dimensions is shown to admit zero curvature formulation in terms of appropriately chosen two-dimensional gauge connections. The result, which is valid for either type II or III metrics, implies that the gravitational analogue of the Lienard-Wiechert fields of Maxwell equations form a new integrable sector of Einstein equations for any value of the cosmological constant. The method of investigation is similar to that used for integrating the Ricci flow in two dimensions. The zero modes of the gauge symmetry (factored by the center) generate Kac's K_2 simple Lie algebra with infinite growth.Comment: 10 page

Geometric flows and (some of) their physical applications

The geometric evolution equations provide new ways to address a variety of non-linear problems in Riemannian geometry, and, at the same time, they enjoy numerous physical applications, most notably within the renormalization group analysis of non-linear sigma models and in general relativity. They are divided into classes of intrinsic and extrinsic curvature flows. Here, we review the main aspects of intrinsic geometric flows driven by the Ricci curvature, in various forms, and explain the intimate relation between Ricci and Calabi flows on Kahler manifolds using the notion of super-evolution. The integration of these flows on two-dimensional surfaces relies on the introduction of a novel class of infinite dimensional algebras with infinite growth. It is also explained in this context how Kac's K_2 simple Lie algebra can be used to construct metrics on S^2 with prescribed scalar curvature equal to the sum of any holomorphic function and its complex conjugate; applications of this special problem to general relativity and to a model of interfaces in statistical mechanics are also briefly discussed.Comment: 18 pages, contribution to AvH conference Advances in Physics and Astrophysics of the 21st Century, 6-11 September 2005, Varna, Bulgari

O(2,2) Transformations and the String Geroch Group

The 1--loop string background equations with axion and dilaton fields are shown to be integrable in four dimensions in the presence of two commuting Killing symmetries and $\delta c = 0$. Then, in analogy with reduced gravity, there is an infinite group that acts on the space of solutions and generates non--trivial string backgrounds from flat space. The usual $O(2,2)$ and $S$--duality transformations are just special cases of the string Geroch group, which is infinitesimally identified with the $O(2,2)$ current algebra. We also find an additional $Z_{2}$ symmetry interchanging the field content of the dimensionally reduced string equations. The method for constructing multi--soliton solutions on a given string background is briefly discussed.Comment: Latex, 26p., CERN-TH.7144/9

Conservation Laws and Geometry of Perturbed Coset Models

We present a Lagrangian description of the $SU(2)/U(1)$ coset model perturbed by its first thermal operator. This is the simplest perturbation that changes sign under Krammers--Wannier duality. The resulting theory, which is a 2--component generalization of the sine--Gordon model, is then taken in Minkowski space. For negative values of the coupling constant $g$, it is classically equivalent to the $O(4)$ non--linear \s--model reduced in a certain frame. For $g > 0$, it describes the relativistic motion of vortices in a constant external field. Viewing the classical equations of motion as a zero curvature condition, we obtain recursive relations for the infinitely many conservation laws by the abelianization method of gauge connections. The higher spin currents are constructed entirely using an off--critical generalization of the $W_{\infty}$ generators. We give a geometric interpretation to the corresponding charges in terms of embeddings. Applications to the chirally invariant $U(2)$ Gross--Neveu model are also discussed.Comment: Latex, 31p, CERN-TH.7047/9

Dual photons and gravitons

We review the status of electric/magnetic duality for free gauge field theories in four space-time dimensions with emphasis on Maxwell theory and linearized Einstein gravity. Using the theory of vector and tensor spherical harmonics, we provide explicit construction of dual photons and gravitons by decomposing the fields into axial and polar configurations with opposite parity and interchanging the two sectors. When the theories are defined on AdS(4) space-time there are boundary manifestations of the duality, which for the case of gravity account for the energy-momentum/Cotton tensor duality (also known as dual graviton correspondence). For AdS(4) black-hole backgrounds there is no direct analogue of gravitational duality on the bulk, but there is still a boundary duality for quasi-normal modes satisfying a selected set of boundary conditions. Possible extensions of this framework and some open questions are also briefly discussed.Comment: 1+22 pages, conference proceeding

Solitons of axion-dilaton gravity

We use soliton techniques of the two-dimensional reduced beta-function equations to obtain non-trivial string backgrounds from flat space. These solutions are characterized by two integers (n, m) referring to the soliton numbers of the metric and axion-dilaton sectors respectively. We show that the Nappi-Witten universe associated with the SL(2) x SU(2) / SO(1, 1) x U(1) CFT coset arises as an (1, 1) soliton in this fashion for certain values of the moduli parameters, while for other values of the soliton moduli we arrive at the SL(2)/SO(1, 1) x SO(1, 1)^2 background. Ordinary 4-dim black-holes arise as 2-dim (2, 0) solitons, while the Euclidean worm-hole background is described as a (0, 2) soliton on flat space. The soliton transformations correspond to specific elements of the string Geroch group. These could be used as starting point for exploring the role of U-dualities in string compactifications to two dimensions.Comment: Latex, 21 page