Linearised gravity as edge modes & manifest duality and Lorentz covariance

Abstract

We present the first formulation of linearised gravity in four dimensions which is manifestly Lorentz covariant and democratic, i.e. treats the two frames related by electric-magnetic duality on equal footing. It is well-known that four-dimensional linearised gravity belongs to a class of singleton representations of the four-dimensional conformal algebra $\mathfrak{so}(2,4)$. Our key insight is viewing this algebra as the isometry of ${\text{AdS}}_5$ and realising the massless spin-2 field as edge modes of a five-dimensional topological field taking values in a specific finite-dimensional representation of $\mathfrak{so}(2,4)$. The desired four-dimensional action is then found by a covariant boundary reduction procedure.

6 pages + appendix; v2: formatting fixed; v3: discussion on Lorentz covariance expanded