Spacetime Virasoro algebra from strings on zero radius AdS_3

Abstract

We study bosonic string theory in the light-cone gauge on AdS_3 spacetime with zero radius of curvature (in string units) R/\sqrt{α^\prime}=0. We find that the worldsheet theory admits an infinite number of conserved quantities which are naturally interpreted as spacetime charges and which form a representation of (two commuting copies of) a Virasoro algebra. Near the boundary of AdS_3 these charges are found to be isomorphic to the infinite set of asymptotic Killing vectors of AdS_3 found originally by Brown and Henneaux. In addition to the spacetime Virasoro algebra, there is a worldsheet Virasoro algebra that generates diffeomorphisms of the spatial coordinate of the string worldsheet. We find that if the worldsheet Virasoro algebra has a central extension then the spacetime Virasoro algebra acquires a central extension via a mechanism similar to that encountered in the context of the SL(2,R) WZW model.Our observations are consistent with a recently proposed duality between bosonic strings on zero radius AdS_d+1 and free field theory in d dimensions.

23 pages, uses JHEP.cls. References added

References in corpus (3)

• On the covariant quantization of tensionless bosonic strings in AdS spacetime
• String bits in small radius AdS and weakly coupled N=4 Super Yang-Mills Theory: I
• Lightcone Quantization of String Theory Duals of Free Field Theories

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Tensionless Strings and Galilean Conformal Algebra
• Higher Spin Symmetry and N=4 SYM
• On the spectrum of AdS/CFT beyond supergravity
• On the boundary gauge dual of closed tensionless free strings in AdS
• Strings on Plane Waves and AdS x S