Related papers: A Spin-2 Conjecture on the Swampland
We describe a Higgs mechanism for the partially massless graviton. In order to do so, we first construct a covariant fracton-like effective field theory on de Sitter space that linearly realizes a dipolar shift symmetry. The global symmetry…
We propose a Lorentz-covariant Yang-Mills ``spin-gauge'' theory, where the function valued Pauli matrices play the role of a non-scalar Higgs-field. As symmetry group we choose $SU(2) \times U(1)$ of the 2-spinors describing…
A form of infinite derivative gravity is free from ghost-like instabilities with improved small scale behavior. In this theory, we calculate the tree-level scattering amplitude and the corresponding weak field potential energy between two…
The landscape of possible four-dimensional low-energy effective theories arising from compactifications of string/M-theory seems vast. This might lead one to believe that any consistent-looking effective field theory coupled to gravity can…
We study the implications on inflation of an infinite tower of higher-spin states with masses falling exponentially at large field distances, as dictated by the Swampland Distance Conjecture. We show that the Higuchi lower bound on the mass…
In the framework of causal perturbation theory we analyze the gauge structure of a massless self-interacting quantum tensor field. We look at this theory from a pure field theoretical point of view without assuming any geometrical aspect…
We extend the effective field theory (EFT) formalism for gravitational radiation from a binary system of compact objects to the case of extended objects. In particular, we study the EFT for a binary system consisting of two infinitely-long…
First and second order corrections for the scattering of different types of particles by a weak gravitational field, treated as an external field, are calculated. These computations indicate a violation of the Equivalence Principle: to…
We investigate in which sense, at the linearized level, one can extend the 3D topologically massive gravity theory beyond three dimensions. We show that, for each k=1,2,3... a free topologically massive gauge theory in 4k-1 dimensions can…
We analyze the charge-to-mass structure of BPS states in general infinite-distance limits of $\mathcal{N}=2$ compactifications of Type IIB string theory on Calabi-Yau three-folds, and use the results to sharpen the formulation of the…
An example of a consistent theory with massive higher spin fields is constructed in flat space-time of dimension three. The action is written in the light-cone gauge. The theory has certain stringy features, e.g. its spectrum is unbounded…
We reconsider a massive dual spin 2 field theory in four spacetime dimensions. We obtain the Lagrangian that describes the lowest order coupling of the field to the four-dimensional curl of its own energy-momentum tensor. We then find some…
We explore the classical Regge growth conjecture in the 4d effective field theory that results from compactifying $D$-dimensional General Relativity on a compact, Ricci-flat manifold. While the higher dimensional description is given in…
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 study some conditions for the hierarchy $m_{3/2} << M_P$ to occur naturally in a generic effective supergravity theory. Absence of fine-tuning and perturbative calculability require that the effective potential has a sliding gravitino…
The swampland conjectures seek to distinguish effective field theories which can be consistently embedded in a theory of quantum gravity from those which can not (and are hence referred to as being in the swampland). We consider two such…
In a recent paper [1], it was introduced a new class of gravitational theories with two local degrees of freedom. The existence of these theories apparently challenges the distinctive role of general relativity as the unique non-linear…
We describe a topological string theory which reproduces many aspects of the 1/N expansion of SU(N) Yang-Mills theory in two spacetime dimensions in the zero coupling (A=0) limit. The string theory is a modified version of topological…
Just like the vector bosons in Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories, gravitons can attain mass by spontaneous local symmetry breaking. The question is whether this can happen in a Lorentz-invariant way. We consider the use of four scalar…
Estimates are given of the time scales which govern spreading of a coherent state wave packet. The estimates, based on dimensional analysis, suggest that spreading should be small for coherent states with average angular momentum of order…