Worldsheet diffeomorphism ghost operator ($(P_{1}c{)}_{ab}={\nabla }_a{c}_b+{\nabla }_b{c}_a-{\gamma }_{ab}{\nabla }_d{c}^d$)

The trace-free metric variation is $(P_{1}c{)}_{ab}={\nabla }_a{c}_b+{\nabla }_b{c}_a-{\gamma }_{ab}{\nabla }_d{c}^d$. A symmetric trace-free antighost exponentiates the Faddeev-Popov determinant. In light-cone worldsheet coordinates its two chiral kinetic terms are $b_{++}{\partial }_{-}{c}^{+}$ and $b_{--}{\partial }_{+}{c}^{-}$.

Use the half-normalized operator $(P_{1}v{)}_{ab}=({\nabla }_a{v}_b+{\nabla }_b{v}_a-h_{ab}{\nabla }_c{v}^c)/2$. On a closed worldsheet, a symmetric trace-free tensor obeysThis integration by parts identifies the displayed formal adjoint operator. A convention with twice $P_1$ has twice this adjoint, with identical kernels. The worldsheet conformal Killing group corresponds to the kernel of $P_1$, while infinitesimal worldsheet moduli correspond to the trace-free kernel of its adjoint.