The AdS3 boundary energy–momentum tensor, exact in the string length over the curvature radius

We clarify the map between boundary perturbations of AdS 3 in general relativity, and exactly marginal worldsheet vertex operators in AdS 3 string theory with Neveu–Schwarz Neveu–Schwarz flux. The latter correspond to solutions of the higher derivative low-energy tree level effective action to all orders in the string length over the curvature radius. We calculate the exact expression of the boundary energy–momentum tensor including all these higher derivative corrections in a purely bosonic string theory. The bottom-line is a canonical shift in the normalization of the boundary energy–momentum tensor corresponding to a shift in the curvature radius over the string length squared by the dual Coxeter number of the SL ( 2 , R ) subalgebra of the space–time Virasoro algebra. That allows us to propose a value for the Brown–Henneaux central charge including all tree level higher derivative corrections in bosonic string theory, in a scheme dictated by the worldsheet conformal field theory.