Trivial symmetries in a 3D topological torsion model of gravity

Abstract

We study the gauge symmetries in a Mielke-Baekler type model of gravity in 2+1 dimensions. The model is built in a Poincare gauge theory framework where localisation of Poincare symmetries lead to gravity. However, explicit construction of gauge symmetries in the model through a Hamiltonian procedure yields an apparently different set of symmetries, as has been noted by various authors. Here, we show that the two sets of symmetries are actually equivalent in a canonical sense, their difference being just a set of trivial symmetries.