Gravitational interpretation of the Hitchin equations

DOI10.1016/J.GEOMPHYS.2007.02.009MaRDI QIDQ998002zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Publication date 10 August 2007

Published in Journal of Geometry and Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0605590

\(2+1\)-dimensional general relativity AdS/CFT correspondence Hitchin equations

Global differential geometry of Lorentz manifolds, manifolds with indefinite metrics (53C50) Variational problems in infinite-dimensional spaces (58E99) Differential complexes (58J10)

Abstract: By referring to theorems of Donaldson and Hitchin, we exhibit a rigorous AdS/CFT-type correspondence between classical 2+1 dimensional vacuum general relativity theory on S x R and SO(3) Hitchin theory (regarded as a classical conformal field theory) on the spacelike past boundary S, a compact, oriented Riemann surface of genus greater than one. Within this framework we can interpret the 2+1 dimensional vacuum Einstein equation as a decoupled ``dual version of the 2 dimensional SO(3) Hitchin equations. More precisely, we prove that if over S with a fixed conformal class a real solution of the SO(3) Hitchin equations with induced flat SO(2,1) connection is given, then there exists a certain cohomology class of non-isometric, singular, flat Lorentzian metrics on S x R whose Levi--Civita connections are precisely the lifts of this induced flat connection and the conformal class induced by this cohomology class on S agrees with the fixed one. Conversely, given a singular, flat Lorentzian metric on S x R the restriction of its Levi--Civita connection gives rise to a real solution of the SO(3) Hitchin equations on S with respect to the conformal class induced by the corresponding cohomology class of the Lorentzian metric.

Review text

In this paper the author establishes a new physical interpretation of the two-dimensional SO(3) Hitchin equations as the coupled dual version of the \((2+1)\)-dimensional vacuum Einstein equation. This interpretation is formalized within an AdS/CFT-type correspondence between classical \((2+1)\)-dimensional vacuum general relativity theory on \(\Sigma\times \mathbb R\) (\(\Sigma\) a compact, oriented Riemann surface of genus greater than 1) and SO(3) Hitchin theory (regarded as a classical conformal field theory) on the space-like past boundary \(\Sigma\). On the one hand, the author proves that a real solution of the SO(3) Hitchin equations over \(\Sigma\) with a fixed conformal class induces a certain cohomology class of singular (metrics may be degenerate) solutions of the Lorentzian vacuum Einstein equation over the annulus \(\Sigma\times \mathbb R\), whose Levi-Civita connections are precisely the lifts of this induced flat connection, and the conformal class induced by this cohomology class on \(\Sigma\) agrees with the fixed one. This construction is based on a theorem of \textit{N. J. Hitchin} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 55, 59--126 (1987; Zbl 0634.53045)] on the relationship between real SO(3) Hitchin pairs and flat \(\text{SO}(2,1)\) connections. Then, by referring to a theorem of \textit{S. K. Donaldson} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 55, 127--131 (1987; Zbl 0634.53046)] which states the equivalence between flat \(\text{PSL}(2,\mathbb C)\) connections and SO(3) Hitchin pairs, the author develops the reversed construction, namely, starting from a cohomology class of flat singular Lorentzian metrics on \(\Sigma\times \mathbb R\) its Levi-Civita connection gives rise to a real solution of the SO(3) Hitchin equations on \(\Sigma\) with respect to the conformal class induced by the corresponding cohomology class of the Lorentzian metric.

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