Extrinsic Hermitian geometry of functional determinants for vector subbundles and the Drinfeld-Sokolov ghost system (Q1924017)

Let \(E^0\) be a holomorphic vector bundle over a Riemann surface \(\Sigma\) of genus \(l\) and let \(E\) be a holomorphic vector subbundle in \(E^0\). A Hermitian structure \((h,H)\) on \(E^0\) is a pair consisting of a Hermitian metric \(h\) on \(\Sigma\) and a Hermitian fiber metric \(H\). Then a Hermitian structure \((h,H_E)\) is induced on the subbundle \(E\). This allows to construct the Laplace operator \(\Delta_w=\overline{\partial}^*_w \overline{\partial}_w\) associated to the Cauchy-Riemann operator \(\overline{\partial}_w\) acting on \(E\)-valued conformal fields of weight \(w\). Using proper time regularization, one may define the determinant \(\text{det}'_\varepsilon\Delta_w\) where \(\varepsilon\) is the proper time ultraviolet cut-off. The author studies \(\text{det}_\varepsilon'\Delta_w\) as a functional of \((h,H)\) in the framework of the Liouville-Donaldson parametrization of the family of Hermitian structures. The class of special holomorphic structures of the smooth vector bundle \(E^0\), for which the smooth subbundle \(E\) is holomorphic, is characterized in the framework of the Beltrami-Koszul parametrization of the holomorphic structures. The special subgroup of the automorphism group of \(E^0\), preserving \(E\), preserves such a class and is the symmetry group under which \(\text{det}_\varepsilon'\Delta_w\) is invariant. The obtained results are applied to the study of the renormalized effective action of the Drinfeld-Sokolov (DS) ghost system in \(W\)-gravity. The expression of the generalized Weyl anomaly of the DS ghost effective action is found. It is shown that, by a specific choice of the fiber metric \(H\), depending on the base metric \(h\), the effective action reduces into that of a conformal field theory. The central charge is computed and found to agree with that obtained by the methods of Hamiltonian and conformal field theory. It is also shown that the dependence of the effective action on \(H\) is local. The DS holomorphic gauge group and the DS moduli space are defined and their dimensions are computed.