Gauge Theory of Gravity and the AdS/CFT Correspondence

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Fukuyama, Takeshi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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_version_ 1866913176535171072
author Fukuyama, Takeshi
author_facet Fukuyama, Takeshi
contents We discuss the AdS/CFT correspondence from the viewpoint of the gauge-theoretic formulation of gravity, in which gravity is interpreted as a broken phase of conformal gauge symmetry. In the AdS$_2$/CFT$_1$ case, we show that the Schwarzian derivative naturally emerges from the boundary extrinsic curvature of AdS$_2$ geometry. The relation between the bulk Liouville geometry and the boundary projective structure is clarified. We further discuss the distinction between the bulk conformal gauge algebra with vanishing central extension and the emergent boundary Virasoro structure with nonvanishing central charge. We then investigate the possible structure of the AdS$_4$/CFT$_3$ correspondence, which is directly related to the original four-dimensional formulation of gravity as a broken phase of conformal gauge symmetry. In this framework, the Einstein--Hilbert action with cosmological constant emerges together with a total derivative term. We argue that this structure induces the boundary gravitational Chern--Simons term, whose variation leads naturally to the Cotton tensor. The Cotton tensor is interpreted as the fundamental conformal invariant associated with the residual boundary conformal geometry, playing a role analogous to that of the Schwarzian derivative in AdS$_2$/CFT$_1$. We also discuss the qualitative difference between AdS$_4$/CFT$_3$ and AdS$_5$/CFT$_4$. While the former appears naturally connected with gravity arising from conformal symmetry breaking, the latter may require genuinely higher-dimensional, string-inspired structures beyond the four-dimensional conformal gauge framework. These observations suggest a unified geometrical interpretation of holography in terms of boundary remnants of broken conformal gauge symmetry.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2606_00929
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Gauge Theory of Gravity and the AdS/CFT Correspondence
Fukuyama, Takeshi
High Energy Physics - Theory
We discuss the AdS/CFT correspondence from the viewpoint of the gauge-theoretic formulation of gravity, in which gravity is interpreted as a broken phase of conformal gauge symmetry. In the AdS$_2$/CFT$_1$ case, we show that the Schwarzian derivative naturally emerges from the boundary extrinsic curvature of AdS$_2$ geometry. The relation between the bulk Liouville geometry and the boundary projective structure is clarified. We further discuss the distinction between the bulk conformal gauge algebra with vanishing central extension and the emergent boundary Virasoro structure with nonvanishing central charge. We then investigate the possible structure of the AdS$_4$/CFT$_3$ correspondence, which is directly related to the original four-dimensional formulation of gravity as a broken phase of conformal gauge symmetry. In this framework, the Einstein--Hilbert action with cosmological constant emerges together with a total derivative term. We argue that this structure induces the boundary gravitational Chern--Simons term, whose variation leads naturally to the Cotton tensor. The Cotton tensor is interpreted as the fundamental conformal invariant associated with the residual boundary conformal geometry, playing a role analogous to that of the Schwarzian derivative in AdS$_2$/CFT$_1$. We also discuss the qualitative difference between AdS$_4$/CFT$_3$ and AdS$_5$/CFT$_4$. While the former appears naturally connected with gravity arising from conformal symmetry breaking, the latter may require genuinely higher-dimensional, string-inspired structures beyond the four-dimensional conformal gauge framework. These observations suggest a unified geometrical interpretation of holography in terms of boundary remnants of broken conformal gauge symmetry.
title Gauge Theory of Gravity and the AdS/CFT Correspondence
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.00929