Polyakov soldering and second-order frames: The role of the Cartan connection (Q1024838)

In this work it is shown that an appropriate Cartan connection on the second-order frame bundles over \(\mathbb{R}P^1\) allows an interesting interpretation of \textit{A. M. Polyakov}'s results [Int. J. Math. Phys. A 5, 833--842 (1990)] in terms of both physical and geometrical aspects. This is done via the understanding of the infinitesimal gauge aspects related to the SL\((2, \mathbb{R}) \) Yang-Mills counterpart of the Cartan connection. It is also indicated how in this case the relationship between a Cartan connection and the Ehresmann connection may lead to further approaches to the derivation of {``diffeomorphisms out of gauge transformations''} given by Polyakov.