Asymptotic symmetries in p-form theories

Abstract

We consider (p + 1)-form gauge fields in flat (2p + 4)-dimensions for which radiation and Coulomb solutions have the same asymptotic fall-off behavior. Imposing appropriate fall-off behavior on fields and adopting a Maxwell-type action, we construct the boundary term which renders the action principle well-defined in the Lorenz gauge. We then compute conserved surface charges and the corresponding asymptotic charge algebra associated with nontrivial gauge transformations. We show that for p ≥ 1, there are three sets of conserved asymptotic charges associated with exact, coexact and zero-mode parts of the corresponding p-form gauge transformations on the asymptotic S2p+2. The coexact and zero-mode charges are higher form extensions of the four dimensional electrodynamics (p = 0), and are commuting. Charges associated with exact gauge transformations have no counterparts in four dimensions and form infinite copies of Heisenberg algebras. We briefly discuss physical implications of these charges and their algebra.