Abstract:

Gauging of sigma models is based on lifting the (sub)group of target space isometries to a gauge symmetry of the world sheet action functional using the standard minimal coupling procedure. We show that it is possible to construct gauged sigma models where gauge invariance is based on extended gauge transformations along vector fields which are not Killing. We apply this construction to examine the possibility of performing T-duality along non-isometric directions. Following a procedure analogous to the derivation of the Buscher rules we show that this construction indeed works in non-trivial cases by examining an explicit class of examples.