Yang-Mills, Gravity, and String Symmetries

Abstract In this work we use constructs from the dual space of the semi-direct product of the Virasoro algebra and the affine Lie algebra of a circle to write a theory of gravitation which is a natural analogue of Yang-Mills theory. The theory provides a relation between quadratic differentials in 1 + 1 dimensions and rank two symmetric tensors in higher dimensions as well as a covariant local Lagrangian for two dimensional gravity. The isotropy equations of coadjoint orbits are interpreted as Gauss law constraints for a field theory in two dimensions, which enables us to extend to higher dimensions. The theory has a Newtonian limit in any space-time dimension. Our approach introduces a novel relationship between string theories and 2D field theories that might be useful in defining dual theories. We briefly discuss how this gravitational field couples to fermions.