Abstract

We discuss the emergence of a new symmetry generator in a Hamiltonian realisation of four-dimensional gauge theories in the flat space foliated by retarded (advanced) time. It generates an asymptotic symmetry that acts on the asymptotic fields in a way different from the usual large gauge transformations. The improved canonical generators, corresponding to gauge and asymptotic symmetries, form a classical Kac-Moody charge algebra with a non-trivial central extension. In particular, we describe the case of electromagnetism, where the charge algebra is the U(1) current algebra with a level proportional to the coupling constant of the theory, & kappa; = 4 & pi;(2)/e(2). We construct bilinear generators yielding Virasoro algebras on the null boundary. We also provide a non-Abelian generalization of the previous symmetries by analysing the evolution of Yang-Mills theory in Bondi coordinates.