A hidden symmetry in quantum gravity

Abstract

The action integral contains more information than the equations of motion. We have previously shown that there are signs of an extended exceptional symmetry for N=8 supergravity in four dimensions. The symmetry is such that the fields used in the Lagrangian are not representations of the symmetry. Instead one has to add representations to obtain a representation of the extended symmetry group. In this paper we discuss an extended symmetry in four-dimensional gravity which is the Ehlers symmetry in three dimensions. It cannot be spanned by the helicity states of four-dimensional gravity but it can be realised once we treat the helicity states just as field variables of the functional integral, which can be changed like variables in any integral. We also explain how this symmetry is inherent to formulations of N=8 supergravity in four dimensions through a truncation in the field space to pure gravity.

arXiv comment13 pages

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Irreducible representations of E theory
• BMS algebra as an extension of the Poincaré symmetry in light-cone gravity
• Higher spins, quadratic forms and amplitudes
• Manifest electric-magnetic duality in linearized conformal gravity
• Ehlers symmetry in four dimensions
• Exceptional symmetries in light-cone superspace