Charges in the extended BMS algebra: Definitions and applications

Abstract

This is a review of selected topics from recent work on symmetry charges in asymptotically flat spacetime done by the author in collaboration with U. Kol and R. Javadinezhad. First we reinterpret the reality constraint on the boundary graviton as the gauge fixing of a new local symmetry, called dual supertranslations. This symmetry extends the BMS group and bears many similarities to the dual (magnetic) gauge symmetry of electrodynamics. We use this new gauge symmetry to propose a new description of the TAUB-NUT space that does not contain closed time-like curves. Next we summarize progress towards the definition of Lorentz and super-Lorentz charges that commute with supertranslations and with the soft graviton mode.