On the coupling of Galilean-invariant field theories to curved spacetime

Understand

We consider the problem of coupling Galilean-invariant quantum field theories to a fixed spacetime.

• We propose that to do so, one couples to Newton-Cartan geometry and in addition imposes a one-form shift symmetry.
• This additional symmetry imposes invariance under Galilean boosts, and its Ward identity equates particle number and momentum currents.
• We show that Newton-Cartan geometry subject to the shift symmetry arises in null reductions of Lorentzian manifolds, and so our proposal is realized for theories which are holographically dual to quantum gravity on Schr\"odinger spacetimes.