The \(\mathfrak{so}(d+2,2)\) minimal representation and ambient tractors: the conformal geometry of momentum space (Q601703)

The authors establish a link between ambient tractor operators and symmetries of a physical quantum field theory. In particular it is shown that the \((d+2)\)-dimensional Fefferman-Graham ambient space corresponds to the momentum space of a massless scalar field, which implies that the masses in their model turn out to be tractor weights. A fundamental set of tractor operators is identified with the generators of conformal symmetries of a scalar field theory in a momentum representation. Finally the authors relax the conformally flat requirement and show that the conformal Lie algebra of tractor operators is deformed by curvature corrections and higher relations in the enveloping algebra. The final section contains some applications to conformal geometry and physics.