BMS symmetry in gravity: Front form versus instant form

Abstract

In general relativity, the allowed set of diffeomorphisms or gauge transformations at asymptotic infinity forms the BMS group, an infinite-dimensional extension of the Poincaré group. We focus on the structure of the BMS group in two distinct forms of Hamiltonian dynamics — the instant and front forms. Both similarities and differences in these two forms are examined while emphasizing the role of noncovariant approaches to symmetries in gravity.