Related papers: Unitarity in three-dimensional flat space higher s…
We revisit the problem of interactions of higher-spin fields in flat space. We argue that all no-go theorems can be avoided by the light-cone approach, which results in more interaction vertices as compared to the usual covariant…
Higher-spin gravity in three dimensions is efficiently formulated as a Chern-Simons gauge-theory, typically with gauge algebra sl(N)+sl(N). The classical and quantum properties of the higher-spin theory depend crucially on the embedding…
Aiming at non-experts, we explain the key mechanisms of higher-spin extensions of ordinary gravity. We first overview various no-go theorems for low-energy scattering of massless particles in flat spacetime. In doing so we dress a…
We consider theories of three dimensional quantum gravity in Anti-de Sitter space which possess massless higher-spin gauge symmetry. The perturbative spectrum of the theory includes higher spin excitations which can be organized into vacuum…
These notes comprise a part of the introductory lectures on Higher Spin Theory presented in the Eighth Modave Summer School in Mathematical Physics. We construct free higher-spin theories and turn on interactions to find that…
There is a great number of higher-spin gravities in $3d$ that can have both finite and infinite spectra of fields and can be formulated as Chern-Simons theories. It was believed that this is impossible in higher dimensions, where…
We present the first example of a non-trivial higher spin theory in 3-dimensional flat space. We propose flat-space boundary conditions and prove their consistency for this theory. We find that the asymptotic symmetry algebra is a…
We derive constraints on two-dimensional conformal field theories with higher spin symmetry due to unitarity, modular invariance, and causality. We focus on CFTs with $\mathcal{W}_N$ symmetry in the "irrational" regime, where $c>N-1$ and…
We obtain a new 3D gravity model from two copies of parity-odd Einstein-Cartan theories. Using Hamiltonian analysis, we demonstrate that the only local degrees of freedom are two massive spin-2 modes. Unitarity of the model in anti-de…
Can the holographic principle be extended beyond the well known AdS/CFT correspondence? During the last couple of years there has been a substantial amount of research trying to find answers for this question. In this work we provide a…
We examine zero-form charges in Vasiliev's four-dimensional bosonic higher spin gravities. These are classical observables given by integrals over noncommutative twistor space of adjoint combinations of the zero-form master fields,…
We examine a unitarity of a particular higher-derivative extension of general relativity in three space-time dimensions, which has been recently shown to be equivalent to the Pauli-Fierz massive gravity at the linearized approximation…
Massless higher-spin fields show no preference for any value of the cosmological constant in $3d$. All matter-free higher-spin gravities in 3d are equivalent to Chern-Simons theories with an appropriate choice of gauge algebra. For various…
Motivated by the generation of action principles from off-shell dualisation, we present a general class of free, topological theories in three dimensional Minkowski spacetime that exhibit higher-spin gauge invariance. In the spin-two case,…
We study the problem of interacting theories with (partially)-massless and conformal higher spin fields without matter in three dimensions. A new class of theories that have partially-massless fields is found, which significantly extends…
We examine the generic theory of a partially massless (PM) spin-two field interacting with gravity in four dimensions from a bottom-up perspective. By analyzing the most general form of the Lagrangian, we first show that if such a theory…
We investigate new boundary conditions in three-dimensional asymptotically Anti-de Sitter gravity coupled to higher-spin fields, allowing for arbitrary boundary degrees of freedom. This generalization gives rise to an enlarged algebra of…
A simple realization of the conformal higher spin symmetry on the free $3d$ massless matter fields is given in terms of an auxiliary Fock module both in the flat and $AdS_3$ case. The duality between non-unitary field-theoretical…
These are notes of introductory lectures on (a) elements of 2+1 dimensional gravity, (b) some aspects of its relation to Chern-Simons theory, (c) its generalization to couple higher spins, and (d) cosmic singularity resolution as an…
We study SL(N,R) Chern-Simons gauge theories in three dimensions. The choice of the embedding of SL(2,R) in SL(N,R), together with asymptotic boundary conditions, defines a theory of higher spin gravity. Each inequivalent embedding leads to…