Conformal Group

The conformal group in various dimensions
04 March 2013
Topics
Repetition : Symmetries and Noethers theorem
The structure of innitesimal conformal transformations
Global conformal transformations
The Virasoro algebra in 2 dimensions
Repetition - Symmetries and Noethers theorem
The action is dened to be
S =
_
d
d
x L(,
)
A general continuous transformation aects in general both the
position and the elds
x x
(x)
(x
) =: F((x))
Figure: Active transformation
It changes according to
S
=
_
d
d
x
L
_
F
_
(x)
_
,
_
x
F
_
(x)
_
_
Example 1 - Translation:
x
= x + a
(x + a) = (x)
F = Id
= S
S
=
_
d
d
x
L
_
F
_
(x)
_
,
_
x
F
_
(x)
_
_
Example 2 - Lorentz transformation:
x
(x) = L
(x)
F = L
Id
=
_
1
_
=
_
d
d
x L
_
L
,
1
_
L
(x)
_
_
S
=
_
d
d
x
L
_
F
_
(x)
_
,
_
x
F
_
(x)
_
_
Example 3 - Scale transformation:
x
= x
(x) =
(x)
F =
Id
=
1
S
=
d
_
d
d
x L
_
,
1
_
Let us now consider the eect of innitesimal transformations on the
action
x
= x
+
a
x
(x
) = (x) +
a
F
a
The Generator of a symmetry transformation is dened by
(x) (x) =: i
a
G
a
(x)
=
_

x
a
_
x
= x
+
a
x
(x
) = (x) +
a
F
a
Example 1 - Translation:
x
= x
+ a
(x + a) = (x)
P
= i

x
= x
+
a
x
(x
) = (x) +
a
F
a
Example 2 - Lorentz transformation:
x
= x
= x
(x
) = L
(x)
=
_
1
1
2
i
is antisymmetric
L
= i
_
x
_
+ S

The eect of an innitesimal transformation on the action can be
shown to be
S = S S
=
_
d
d
x
a

a
with the conserved current
j
a
=
_
L
(
L
_
x
L
(
)
F
a
For a continuous symmetry transformation (S = 0 for all
a
) this
implies
a
= 0
This is Noethers theorem
Every conserved current gives us an integral of motion. We can
solve a system with n degrees of freedom if n currents are conserved.
Topics
The structure of innitesimal conformal transformations -
Conformal transformations
Conformal transformations conserve angles
Figure: Conformal transformation
Conformal transformations conserve angles
This is equivalent to leaving to leaving the metric tensor invariant up
to a scaling factor
g
= (x)g

Conformal maps include Lorentz transformations and translations
(Poincare group) - this corresponds to (x) = 1
But there are more! Lets discuss the conditions for conformal
invariance in more detail...
Conditions
Consider an innitesimal transformation
x
= x
+ O(
2
)
Now impose the constraint that the metric tensor be invariant up to
a scale factor

=
2
d
( )g
One can also derive

(d 1)
( ) = 0
and
2
=
2
d
_
g
+ g
+ g
_
Let us now turn to the general case d 2
The four types
By equation (2) we can make the ansatz
= a
+ b
+ c
We can consider all of the terms separately

The four types
= a
+ b
+ c
No constraint for a
Innitesimal translations
x
= x
+ a
Generator:
P
= i

The four types
= a
+ b
+ c
Constraint for b
+ b
=
2
d
b
Dilations
x
= x
and rotations
x
= M
Their respective generators are:

D = ix
= i (x
)
The four types
= a
+ b
+ c
Constraint for c
= g
+ g
Special Conformal Transformations:

x
=
x
(x x)b
1 2(b x) + (b b)(x x)
Generator:
K
= i (2x
(x x)
)
The four types
Special Conformal Transformations consist of an inversion followed
by a translation and another inversion, i.e.:
Figure: Special conformal transformation
Topics
Global conformal transformations - The Conformal Group
and Algebra
The group SO(p, q) is a generalization of the usual special
orthogonal group.
It leaves invariant the scalar product < x, y >= x
T
gy where g is the
metric tensor with p times +1 on the diagonal and q times 1.
The Lorentz group is SO(3, 1)
There is a basis J
ab
in which the commutation relations read
[J
ab
, J
cd
] = i (g
ad
J
bc
+ g
bc
J
ad
g
ac
J
bd
+ g
bd
J
ac
)
and Algebra
The Conformal Group is the group consisting of globally dened,
invertible and nite conformal transformations
The Conformal Algebra is the Lie Algebra corresponding to the
Conformal Group
and Algebra
We now seek similarities between the Conformal Group and known
groups
There were four types of conformal transformations
1
Translations P
= i
2
Dilations D = ix
3
Rotations L
= i (x
)
4
Special Conformal Transformations sK
= i (2x
(x x)
)
and Algebra
Now compute the commutation relations
1
[D, P
] = iP
2
[D, K
] = iK
3
[K
, P
] = 2i (g
D L
)
4
[K
, L
] = i (g
)
5
[P
, L
] = i (g
)
6
[L
, L
] = i (g
+ g
+ g
+ g
)
Dene
1
J
= L
2
J
1,
=
1
2
(P
)
3
J
1,0
= D
4
J
0,
=
1
2
(P
+ K
)
These obey
[J
ab
, J
cd
] = i (g
ad
J
bc
+ g
bc
J
ad
g
ac
J
bd
+ g
bd
J
ac
)
Hence, the Conformal Group in d dimensions is isomorphic to the
group SO(d + 1, 1) with
(d+2)(d+1)
2
parameters
Global conformal transformations - The case d = 2
Let us now turn to the case d = 2
Global conformal transformations - The case d = 2
For d = 2,
=
2
d
( )g
turns into the Cauchy-Riemann equations

Innitesimal holomorphic functions f (z) = z +(z) give rise to
innitesimal conformal transformations
Global conformal transformations - The Witt Algebra
A general meromorphic function can be expanded into a Laurent
series
f (z) = z +
nZ
n
(z
n+1
)
Global conformal transformations - The Witt Algebra
A general meromorphic function can be expanded into a Laurent
series
f (z) = z +
nZ
n
(z
n+1
)
There is a generator for each of the terms
l
n
= z
n+1
z
Their commutation relation is
[l
m
, l
n
] = (m n)l
m+n
We call this the Witt Algebra
It is innite dimensional
Global conformal transformations - Local and Global
Conformal Transformations
The Witt Algebra was induced by innitesimal conformal invariance.
What about global transformations?
We know from complex analysis that the complete set of global
conformal transformations (projective or Mobius transformations) of
the Riemann sphere is
f (z) =
az + b
cz + d
with ad bc = 1
They form a group and one can associate the matrix A =
_
a b
c d
_
with each of them
Therefore, the global conformal group is isomorphic to
SL(2, C)
= SO(3, 1)
Now reconsider the Witt Algebra
Notice that the generators of the Witt Algebra generate
transformations which are singular at certain points
The principal part of the Laurent series diverges for n < 1
We are actually working on the Riemann Sphere rather than the
complex plane
All transformations generated by generators with n > 1 are singular
at
The only globally dened generators of the Witt Algebra are
l
1
, l
0
, l
1
This is a particuliarity of the 2d-case
Now is the Conformal Group in two dimensions innite dimensional
or does it have dimension 6?
Locally: Innite dimensions
Globally: Six dimensions
Topics
The Virasoro Algebra in two dimensions
A central extension of a Lie algebra of g by an abelian Lie algebra a
is an exact sequence of Lie algebra homomorphisms
0 a h g 0
where [a, h] = 0 and the image of every homorphism is the kernel of
the succeeding one
For every such sequence there is a linear map : g h
Let : gxg a
(X, Y) := [(X), (Y)] ([X, Y])
(X, Y) := [(X), (Y)] ([X, Y])
We can check that fullls
1
It is bilinear and alternating
2
(X, [Y, Z]) + (Y, [Z, X]) + (Z, [X, Y]) = 0
A map satisfying those requirements is a cocyle
Every central extension has exactly one associated cocycle and it is
trivial if there is a homomorphism such that
(X, Y) = ([X, Y])
0 a h g 0
For the central extension of the Witt Algebra W we identify:
a C
h Vir
g W
We propose that
(L
n
, L
m
) :=
n+m,0
n
12
(n
2
1)
is the cocycle dening the only nontrivial central extension of W by
C
It is bilinear and alternating
It fullls (L
k
, [L
m
, L
n
]) + (L
m
, [L
n
, L
k
]) + (L
n
, [L
k
, L
m
]) = 0
If there was a homomorphism with (X, Y) = ([X, Y]) it would
satisfy
(L
0
) =
1
24
(n
2
1)
which cannot be true for every n
It can be shown that every other cocycle is a multiple of .
(X, Y) := [(X), (Y)] ([X, Y])
Hence we dene the Virasoro algebra Vir as the unique central
extension of the Witt algebra W by C, i.e
Vir = WC
[L
m
, L
n
] = (m n)L
m+n
+ c
n
12
(n
2
1)
m+n,0

Conformal Group

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Conformal Group

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The conformal group in various dimensions

The conformal group in various dimensions

The conformal group in various dimensions

The conformal group in various dimensions

One can also derive

We can consider all of the terms separately

The conformal group in various dimensions

Their respective generators are:

Special Conformal Transformations:

turns into the Cauchy-Riemann equations

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