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Weyl-Invariant Higher Curvature Gravity Theories in n Dimensions

High Energy Physics - Theory 2012-03-13 v3 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Abstract

We study the particle spectrum and the unitarity of the generic n-dimensional Weyl-invariant quadratic curvature gravity theories around their (anti-)de Sitter [(A)dS] and flat vacua. Weyl symmetry is spontaneously broken in (A)dS and radiatively broken at the loop level in flat space. Save the three dimensional theory (which is the Weyl-invariant extension of the new massive gravity), the graviton remains massless and the unitarity requires that the only viable Weyl-invariant quadratic theory is the Weyl-invariant extension of the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory. The Weyl gauge field on the other hand becomes massive. Symmetry breaking scale fixes all the dimensionful parameters in the theory.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1201.5068,
  title  = {Weyl-Invariant Higher Curvature Gravity Theories in n Dimensions},
  author = {M. Reza Tanhayi and Suat Dengiz and Bayram Tekin},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1201.5068},
  year   = {2012}
}

Comments

14 pages, references added, To appear in Phys. Rev. D