Related papers: Some Comments on Ghosts and Unitarity: The Pais-Uh…
The Pais-Uhlenbeck model is a quantum theory described by a higher-derivative field equation. It has been believed for many years that this model possesses ghost states (quantum states of negative norm) and therefore that this model is a…
A {\em complex} canonical transformation is found that takes the fourth order derivative Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator into two independent harmonic oscillators thus showing that this model has energy bounded from below, unitary time-evolution…
We present a solution to the ghost problem in fourth order derivative theories. In particular we study the Pais-Uhlenbeck fourth order oscillator model, a model which serves as a prototype for theories which are based on second plus fourth…
Using the Dirac constraint method we show that the pure fourth-order Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator model is free of observable negative norm states. Even though such ghosts do appear when the fourth order theory is coupled to a second order…
Contrary to common belief, it is shown that theories whose field equations are higher than second order in derivatives need not be stricken with ghosts. In particular, the prototypical fourth-order derivative Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator model…
We review some of the recent results which can be useful for better understanding of the problem of stability of vacuum and in general classical solutions in higher derivative quantum gravity. The fourth derivative terms in the purely…
We provide a new formulation of the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator which is a prototype of a higher derivative model. Different parametrisations that reveal the model as a combination of two simple harmonic oscillators are introduced.…
We present a new understanding of the unstable ghost-like resonance which appears in theories such as quadratic gravity and Lee-Wick type theories. Quantum corrections make this resonance unstable, such that it does not appear in the…
We discuss aspects of non-perturbative unitarity in quantum field theory. The additional ghost degrees of freedom arising in "truncations" of an effective action at a finite order in derivatives could be fictitious degrees of freedom. Their…
Perturbation theory for gravity in dimensions greater than two requires higher derivatives in the free action. Higher derivatives seem to lead to ghosts, states with negative norm. We consider a fourth order scalar field theory and show…
We consider a Hamiltonian formulation of the (2n+1)-order generalization of the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator with distinct frequencies of oscillation. This system is invariant under time translations. However, the corresponding Noether…
We study a generalization of a Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator for fermionic variables. Next, we consider an ensemble of these oscillators and we identify a particular case of the Myers-Pospelov model which is relevant for effective theories of…
Our purpose in this paper is to analyze the Pais-Uhlenbeck (PU) oscillator using complex canonical transformations. We show that starting from a Lagrangian approach we obtain a transformation that makes the extended PU oscillator, with…
We discuss the quantum dynamics of the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator. The Lagrangian of this higher-derivative model depends on two frequencies. When the frequencies are different, the free PU oscillator has a pure point spectrum that is dense…
In the recent literature there has been a resurgence of interest in the fourth-order field-theoretic model of Pais-Uhlenbeck \cite {Pais-Uhlenbeck 50 a}, which has not had a good reception over the last half century due to the existence of…
We present a simple class of mechanical models where a canonical degree of freedom interacts with another one with a negative kinetic term, i.e. with a ghost. We prove analytically that the classical motion of the system is completely…
We investigate the Pais-Uhlenbeck (PU) model, a paradigmatic example of a higher time-derivative theory, by identifying the Lie symmetries of its associated fourth-order dynamical equation. Exploiting these symmetries in conjunction with…
Ostrogradsky's method allows one to construct Hamiltonian formulation for a higher derivative system. An application of this approach to the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator yields the Hamiltonian which is unbounded from below. This leads to the…
A system of two independent Bosonic Harmonic Oscillators is converted into the respective fourth-order derivative Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator model. The conversion procedure displays transparently how the quantization of the fourth-order…
The aim of these notes is to provide a self-contained review of why it is generically a problem when a solution of a theory possesses ghost fields among the perturbation modes. We define what a ghost field is and we show that its presence…