Related papers: Empirical consequences of symmetries
We discuss the most general class of teleparallel scalar-torsion theories of gravity in their covariant formulation. The only restrictions we impose are the invariance of the action under diffeomorphisms and local Lorentz transformations,…
Gauge symmetries lead to first-class constraints. This assertion is of course true only for non trivial gauge symmetries, i.e., gauge symmetries that act non trivially on-shell on the dynamical variables. We illustrate this well-appreciated…
Here we follow the mainstream of thinking about physical equivalence of different representations of a theory, regarded as the consequence of invariance of the laws of physics -- represented by an action principle and the derived motion…
We show that matching anomalies under large gauge transformations and large diffeomorphisms can explain the appearance and non-renormalization of couplings in effective field theory. We focus on thermal effective field theory where we argue…
The notion of "reference frame" is a central theoretical construct for interpreting the physical implications of spacetime diffeomorphism invariance in General Relativity. However, the alternative formulation of classical General Relativity…
Diffeomorphism invariance is often considered to be a hallmark of the theory of general relativity (GR). But closer analysis reveals that this cannot be what makes GR distinctive. The concept of diffeomorphism invariance can be defined in…
We give an overview of some conceptual difficulties, sometimes called paradoxes, that have puzzled for years the physical interpetation of classical canonical gravity and, by extension, the canonical formulation of generally covariant…
We present an overview on relational observables in gravity mainly from a loop quantum gravity perspective. The gauge group of general relativity is the diffeomorphism group of the underlying manifold. Consequently, general relativity is a…
A fundamental tenet of gauge theory is that physical quantities should be gauge-invariant. This prompts the question: can gauge symmetries have physical significance? On one hand, the Noether theorems relate conserved charges to symmetries,…
Galileon models arise in certain braneworld scenarios as modifications to General Relativity, and are also interesting as field theories in their own right. We show how the galileon model can be naturally generalized to include local gauge…
In this paper we explore the physical consequences of assuming Weyl invariance of the laws of gravity from the classical standpoint exclusively. Actual Weyl invariance requires to replace the underlying Riemannian geometrical structure of…
The possibility of the extension of spatial diffeomorphisms to a larger family of symmetries in a class of classical field theories is studied. The generator of the additional local symmetry contains a quadratic kinetic term and a potential…
In this paper we revisit the motivation and construction of a unified theory of gravity and electromagnetism, following Weyl's insights regarding the appealing potential connection between the gauge invariance of electromagnetism and the…
Galileon gravity is a robust theoretical alternative to general relativity with a cosmological constant for explaining cosmic acceleration, with interesting properties such as having second order field equations and a shift symmetry. While…
We study the gauge invariance of physical observables in holographic theories under the local diffeomorphism. We find that gauge invariance is intimately related to the holographic renormalisation: the local counter terms defined in the…
Diffeomorphism invariance breaking has been investigated in the literature in several contexts, including emergent General Relativity (GR). If GR emerges from an underlying theory without diffeomorphism invariance, there may be small…
Deformations of spacelike hypersurfaces in space-time play an important role in discussions of general covariance and slicing independence in gravitational theories. In a canonical formulation, they provide the geometrical meaning of gauge…
I discuss gauge and global symmetries in particle physics, condensed matter physics, and quantum gravity. In a modern understanding, global symmetries are approximate and gauge symmetries may be emergent. (Based on a lecture at the April,…
Comparing and recognizing metrics can be extraordinarily difficult because of the group of diffeomorphisms. Two metrics, that could even be the same, could look completely different in different coordinates. This is the gauge problem. The…
"Physical theories of fundamental significance tend to be gauge theories. These are theories in which the physical system being dealt with is described by more variables than there are physically independent degree of freedom. The…