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Sachs' free data in real connection variables

3 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.

3 Pith papers citing it
abstract

We discuss the Hamiltonian dynamics of general relativity with real connection variables on a null foliation, and use the Newman-Penrose formalism to shed light on the geometric meaning of the various constraints. We identify the equivalent of Sachs' constraint-free initial data as projections of connection components related to null rotations, i.e. the translational part of the ISO(2) group stabilising the internal null direction soldered to the hypersurface. A pair of second-class constraints reduces these connection components to the shear of a null geodesic congruence, thus establishing equivalence with the second-order formalism, which we show in details at the level of symplectic potentials. A special feature of the first-order formulation is that Sachs' propagating equations for the shear, away from the initial hypersurface, are turned into tertiary constraints; their role is to preserve the relation between connection and shear under retarded time evolution. The conversion of wave-like propagating equations into constraints is possible thanks to an algebraic Bianchi identity; the same one that allows one to describe the radiative data at future null infinity in terms of a shear of a (non-geodesic) asymptotic null vector field in the physical spacetime. Finally, we compute the modification to the spin coefficients and the null congruence in the presence of torsion.

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hep-th 3

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2026 2 2025 1

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UNVERDICTED 3

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representative citing papers

Localization and anomalous reference frames in gravity

hep-th · 2025-10-30 · unverdicted · novelty 6.0

Constructs a phase space for gravitational degrees of freedom on null ray segments with commuting localized observables via edge modes and dressing time, then introduces an effective classical theory with Virasoro deformations to capture diffeomorphism anomalies and distinguish gauge, physical, and

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Showing 3 of 3 citing papers.

  • Gravitational null rays: Covariant Quantization and the Dressing Time hep-th · 2026-04-02 · unverdicted · none · ref 78

    Gravitational null rays are quantized in a diffeomorphism-covariant way using the gravitational dressing time as quantum reference frame, producing a Virasoro crossed-product algebra of gauge-invariant observables.

  • An algebra of proper observables at null infinity: Dirac brackets, Memory and Goldstone probes hep-th · 2026-05-13 · unverdicted · none · ref 14 · 2 links · internal anchor

    Authors define proper observables and Goldstone probes on the Ashtekar-Streubel phase space at null infinity, showing supertranslation charges act correctly on shear and deriving distributional Dirac brackets with non-local corrections.

  • Localization and anomalous reference frames in gravity hep-th · 2025-10-30 · unverdicted · none · ref 98 · internal anchor

    Constructs a phase space for gravitational degrees of freedom on null ray segments with commuting localized observables via edge modes and dressing time, then introduces an effective classical theory with Virasoro deformations to capture diffeomorphism anomalies and distinguish gauge, physical, and