Lifshitz Holography with Isotropic Scale Invariance

Is it possible for an anisotropic Lifshitz critical point to actually exhibit isotropic conformal invariance? We answer this question in the affirmative by constructing a concrete holographic realization. We study three-dimensional spin-3 higher-spin gauge theory with a z=2 Lifshitz ground state with non-trivial spin-3 background. We provide consistent boundary conditions and determine the associated asymptotic symmetry algebra. Surprisingly, we find that the algebra consists of two copies of the W_3 extended conformal algebra, which is the extended conformal algebra of an isotropic critical system. Moreover, the central charges are given by 3l/(2G). We consider the possible geometric interpretation of the theory in light of the higher spin gauge invariance and remark on the implications of the asymptotic symmetry analysis.