  The geometric structure of theories with gauge fields of spins two and higher
should involve a higher spin generalisation of Riemannian geometry. Such
geometries are discussed and the case of $W_\infty$-gravity is analysed in
detail. While the gauge group for gravity in $d$ dimensions is the
diffeomorphism group of the space-time, the gauge group for a certain
$W$-gravity theory (which is $W_\infty$-gravity in the case $d=2$) is the group
of symplectic diffeomorphisms of the cotangent bundle of the space-time. Gauge
transformations for $W$-gravity gauge fields are given by requiring the
invariance of a generalised line element. Densities exist and can be
constructed from the line element (generalising $\sqrt { \det g_{\mu \nu}}$)
only if $d=1$ or $d=2$, so that only for $d=1,2$ can actions be constructed.
These two cases and the corresponding $W$-gravity actions are considered in
detail. In $d=2$, the gauge group is effectively only a subgroup of the
symplectic diffeomorphism group. Some of the constraints that arise for $d=2$
are similar to equations arising in the study of self-dual four-dimensional
geometries and can be analysed using twistor methods, allowing contact to be
made with other formulations of $W$-gravity. While the twistor transform for
self-dual spaces with one Killing vector reduces to a Legendre transform, that
for two Killing vectors gives a generalisation of the Legendre transform.

High Energy Physics - Theory