Real Formulations of Complex Gravity and a Complex Formulation of Real Gravity

Two gauge and diffeomorphism invariant theories on the Yang-Mills phase space are studied. They are based on the Lie-algebras $so(1,3)$ and $\widetilde{so(3)}$ -- the loop-algebra of $so(3)$. Although the theories are manifestly real, they can both be reformulated to show that they describe complex gravity and an infinite number of copies of complex gravity, respectively. The connection to real gravity is given. For these theories, the reality conditions in the conventional Ashtekar formulation are represented by normal constraint-like terms.Comment: 23 pages, CGPG-94/4-

Deformations of extended objects with edges

We present a manifestly gauge covariant description of fluctuations of a relativistic extended object described by the Dirac-Nambu-Goto action with Dirac-Nambu-Goto loaded edges about a given classical solution. Whereas physical fluctuations of the bulk lie normal to its worldsheet, those on the edge possess an additional component directed into the bulk. These fluctuations couple in a non-trivial way involving the underlying geometrical structures associated with the worldsheet of the object and of its edge. We illustrate the formalism using as an example a string with massive point particles attached to its ends.Comment: 17 pages, revtex, to appear in Phys. Rev. D5

Yang-Mills theory a la string

A surface of codimension higher than one embedded in an ambient space possesses a connection associated with the rotational freedom of its normal vector fields. We examine the Yang-Mills functional associated with this connection. The theory it defines differs from Yang-Mills theory in that it is a theory of surfaces. We focus, in particular, on the Euler-Lagrange equations describing this surface, introducing a framework which throws light on their relationship to the Yang-Mills equations.Comment: 7 page

Open strings with topologically inspired boundary conditions

We consider an open string described by an action of the Dirac-Nambu-Goto type with topological corrections which affect the boundary conditions but not the equations of motion. The most general addition of this kind is a sum of the Gauss-Bonnet action and the first Chern number (when the background spacetime dimension is four) of the normal bundle to the string worldsheet. We examine the modification introduced by such terms in the boundary conditions at the ends of the string.Comment: 12 pages, late

Selfdual 2-form formulation of gravity and classification of energy-momentum tensors

It is shown how the different irreducibility classes of the energy-momentum tensor allow for a Lagrangian formulation of the gravity-matter system using a selfdual 2-form as a basic variable. It is pointed out what kind of difficulties arise when attempting to construct a pure spin-connection formulation of the gravity-matter system. Ambiguities in the formulation especially concerning the need for constraints are clarified.Comment: title changed, extended versio

Chiral Superconducting Membranes

We develop the dynamics of the chiral superconducting membranes (with null current) in an alternative geometric approach either making a Lagrangian description and a Hamiltonian point of view. Besides of this, we show the equivalence of the resulting descriptions to the one known Dirac-Nambu-Goto (DNG) case. Integrability for chiral string model is obtained using a proposed light-cone gauge. In a similar way, domain walls are integrated by means of a simple ansatz. We compare the results with recently works appeared in the literature.Comment: Latex file, 17 pages, no figures. Improved version, typos corrected, Comments and references adde

Remarks on Pure Spin Connection Formulations of Gravity

In the derivation of a pure spin connection action functional for gravity two methods have been proposed. The first starts from a first order lagrangian formulation, the second from a hamiltonian formulation. In this note we show that they lead to identical results for the specific cases of pure gravity with or without a cosmological constant

The Euler characteristic and the first Chern number in the covariant phase space formulation of string theory

Using a covariant description of the geometry of deformations for extendons, it is shown that the topological corrections for the string action associated with the Euler characteristic and the first Chern number of the normal bundle of the worldsheet, although do not give dynamics to the string, modify the symplectic properties of the covariant phase space of the theory. Future extensions of the present results are outlined.Comment: 12 page