What is the Conformal Boundary of AdS Space?

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SUMMARY

The conformal boundary of Anti-de Sitter (AdS) space is defined as the set of points on null geodesics originating from the center of the (d+2)-dimensional spacetime and extending to the null cone at infinity. The metric condition for AdS space is given by the equation -x02 + Σxi2 - xd+12 = -L2, which establishes the relationship between the spacetime and its conformal boundary. The conformal group C(1,n-1) acts on the conformal compactification of Minkowski space, leading to a 2-fold covering of the boundary of AdS space, represented as ∂(AdSn+1) = Sn-1 × S1.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Anti-de Sitter (AdS) space and its properties
  • Familiarity with the concept of conformal boundaries in spacetime
  • Knowledge of the conformal group C(1,n-1) and its actions
  • Basic grasp of null geodesics and their significance in general relativity
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  • Research the mathematical formulation of AdS space and its metrics
  • Study the properties of the conformal group C(1,n-1) and its implications
  • Explore the concept of conformal compactification in more detail
  • Learn about the AdS/CFT correspondence and its applications in theoretical physics
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The discussion is beneficial for theoretical physicists, mathematicians specializing in geometry, and students studying general relativity and quantum field theory, particularly those interested in the AdS/CFT correspondence.

kau
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Somehow I can't relate two things and confused over this.
What I understand when someone say that some spacetime has conformal boundary it means that I can write the metric conformally to some other metric where the coordinates are finite ..So it has boundary.
Now I just read something on Ads Conformal boundary which i can't understand much.
Consider (d+2) dim spacetime with two negative eigenvalue of the metric and imposde the following condition
## -x0^{2}+ \Sigma{ x^{i 2} }- x^{{d+1} ^{2}} = -L^{2} ## doing this give you the AdS space.
Now to understand the conformal boundary of this spacetime the logic that is put forward is the following:
For large ##X^{M}## this ##-x0^{2}+ \Sigma{ x^{i 2} }- x^{{d+1} ^{2}} = -L^{2} ## The reason behind that I think since we have positive and negative sign. So in large value limit that contributes very small quantity which we can assume to be zero. (please correct me if I am wrong in this statement) . But the condition is it has to become -L^2 to be a part of AdS.. So in some sense it has to have some end somewhere.
And then they defined the boundary as the set of points which is on null geodesic originating from the centre of (d+2) dim spacetime and then end at null cone at infinity. Can someone explain this part ?
 
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kau said:
Somehow I can't relate two things and confused over this.
What I understand when someone say that some spacetime has conformal boundary it means that I can write the metric conformally to some other metric where the coordinates are finite ..So it has boundary.
Now I just read something on Ads Conformal boundary which i can't understand much.
Consider (d+2) dim spacetime with two negative eigenvalue of the metric and imposde the following condition
## -x0^{2}+ \Sigma{ x^{i 2} }- x^{{d+1} ^{2}} = -L^{2} ## doing this give you the AdS space.
Now to understand the conformal boundary of this spacetime the logic that is put forward is the following:
For large ##X^{M}## this ##-x0^{2}+ \Sigma{ x^{i 2} }- x^{{d+1} ^{2}} = -L^{2} ## The reason behind that I think since we have positive and negative sign. So in large value limit that contributes very small quantity which we can assume to be zero. (please correct me if I am wrong in this statement) . But the condition is it has to become -L^2 to be a part of AdS.. So in some sense it has to have some end somewhere.
And then they defined the boundary as the set of points which is on null geodesic originating from the centre of (d+2) dim spacetime and then end at null cone at infinity. Can someone explain this part ?
Reading the above, it is not at all clear to me how much you know about the conformal group C(1,n-1) and its global action.

1) Globally, the conformal group C(1,n-1) acts not on the Minkowski space \mbox{M}^{(1,n-1)} but on its conformal compactification \mbox{M}_{c}^{(1,n-1)}. This is an n-dimensional compact manifold isomorphic to S^{n-1} \times S^{1} / \mathbb{Z}_{2}.

2) The basic idea behind Ads/CFT is the fact that the conformal boundary of \mbox{Ads}_{n+1} is a 2-fold covering of \mbox{M}_{c}^{(1,n-1)}, i.e. \partial(\mbox{Ads}_{n+1}) = S^{n-1} \times S^{1}.

If you understand where the above two points come from, then it is easy to understand the relation \mbox{M}^{(1,n-1)} \cong \mbox{M}_{c}^{(1,n-1)} - \{ \mathcal{K}_{\infty} \}, where \{ \mathcal{K}_{\infty} \} \subset \mathbb{R}^{(2,n)} is the set of points at infinity (projective cone).
 

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