The Conformal $w$-Algebra

Abstract

Einstein gravity in four asymptotically flat dimensions is governed by a tower of soft theorems obeying an $\mathcal{L}w_{1+\infty}$ commutator algebra. This algebra is deformed to $\mathcal{L}_Λw_{1+\infty}$ in the conformally related AdS$_4$ and dS$_4$ spacetimes. Here we construct the larger ``conformal $w$-algebra", denoted $\mathcal{C}w_{1+\infty}$, which acts on conformal gravity in all of these spacetimes. It includes $\mathcal{L}w_{1+\infty}$, $\mathcal{L}_Λw_{1+\infty}$ and the $\mathfrak{so}(4,2)$ 4D conformal algebra as subalgebras. We show that $\mathcal{C}w_{1+\infty}$ is the conformal completion of either $\mathcal{L}w_{1+\infty}$ or $\mathcal{L}_Λw_{1+\infty}$. A derivation of $\mathcal{C}w_{1+\infty}$ is given as the symmetry of the twistor action of self-dual conformal gravity.