Related papers: Exorcising Ghosts in Induced Gravity
In this work we develop a theoretical framework for Gauss-Bonnet modified gravity theories, in which ghost modes can be eliminated at the equations of motion level. Particularly, after we present how the ghosts can occur at the level of…
It has recently been shown that the graviton can consistently gain a constant mass without introducing the Boulware-Deser ghost. We propose a gravity model where the graviton mass is set by a scalar field and prove that this model is free…
We investigate composite models of gravity and explore how dynamical tensor fields can emerge within the functional renormalization group framework. We consider two prototype models: a fermionic theory and a scalar theory. In both cases, an…
Unimodular gravity is an interesting approach to address the cosmological constant problem, since the vacuum energy density of quantum fields does not gravitate in this framework, and the cosmological constant appears as an integration…
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…
The Coleman-Weinberg mechanism provides a procedure by which a scalar field, which initially has no mass parameters, acquires a mass due to the anomalous nature of scale symmetry. Loop corrections trigger a spontaneous symmetry breaking and…
The explicit violation of the general gauge invariance/relativity is adopted as the origin of dark matter and dark energy of the gravitational nature. The violation of the local scale invariance alone, with the residual unimodular one, is…
The Ostrogradski ghost problem that appears in higher derivative system is considered for systems with constraints. A prescription for removal of the ghost creating momenta is described based on the Dirac's constraint analysis. It is shown…
We investigate the stability against inhomogeneous perturbations and the appearance of ghost modes in Gauss-Bonnet gravitational theories with a non-minimally coupled scalar field, which can be regarded as either the dilaton or a…
This is a brief review of modified gravity cosmologies. Generically extensions of gravity action involve higher derivative terms, which can result in ghosts and instabilities. There are three ways to circumvent this: Chern-Simons terms,…
A recent analysis of the false-vacuum decay in non-perturbative regimes is here extended in the presence of Einstein gravity, computing the corresponding effective potential and decay rate. We consider a $\lambda \phi^4$ scalar field theory…
We compute the ghost anomalous dimension within the asymptotic-safety scenario for quantum gravity. For a class of covariant gauge fixings and using a functional RG scheme, the anomalous dimension $\eta_c$ is negative, implying an improved…
A model of spontaneous Lorentz violation in four dimension is given, which seems to provide a Lorentz invariant effective theory. An SU(2) Yang-Mills gauge field and an auxiliary U(1) vector field generate gravity and other interactions…
Covariant (Lorentz invariant) fracton matter, minimally coupled and charged under a symmetric rank two gauge tensor, is considered. The gauge transformations correspond to linearized longitudinal diffeomorphisms. Consistent possible…
Four-dimensional Einstein gravity in the Palatini first order formalism is shown to possess a vector supersymmetry of the same type as found in the topological theories for Yang-Mills fields. A peculiar feature of the gravitational theory,…
Motivated by the ideas of Jacob Bekenstein concerning gravity-assisted symmetry breaking, we consider a non-canonical model of f(R)=R+R^2 extended gravity coupled to neutral scalar "inflaton", as well as to SU(2)xU(1) multiplet of fields…
We investigate the cosmological consequences of a theory of induced gravity in which the scalar field is identified with the Higgs field of the first symmetry breaking of a mi\-ni\-mal SU(5) GUT. The mass of the X-boson determines a great…
We linearize the field equations for higher order theories that contain scalar invariants other than the Ricci scalar. We find that besides a massless spin-2 field (the standard graviton), the theory contains also spin-0 and spin-2 massive…
The method of non-Riemannian (metric-independent) spacetime volume-forms (alternative generally-covariant integration measure densities) is applied to construct a modified model of gravity coupled to a single scalar field providing an…
We construct a model of phantom energy using the graded Lie algebra SU(2/1). The negative kinetic energy of the phantom field emerges naturally from the graded Lie algebra, resulting in an equation of state with w<-1. The model also…