Related papers: Ghost Problems from Pauli-Villars to Fourth-Order …
We study the stability of Schwarzschild-Tangherlini (ST) black holes in fourth-order gravity which provides a higher dimensional linearized massive equation. The linearized-Ricci tensor perturbation is employed to exhibit unstable modes…
We explore the possibility of parity-violating, nonminimally coupled 2-form field theories that retain the same dynamical degrees of freedom as a massive 2-form and thus are ghost-free. Starting from the most general kinetic terms and…
It is an old speculation in physics that, once the gravitational field is successfully quantized, it should serve as the natural regulator of infrared and ultraviolet singularities that plague quantum field theories in a background metric.…
We consider Hilbert's problem of the axioms of Physics at a qualitative or conceptual level. This issue is more pressing than ever as we seek to understand how both General Relativity and quantum theory could emerge from some deeper theory…
Recently, much research has been carried out on Hamiltonians that are not Hermitian but are symmetric under space-time reflection, that is, Hamiltonians that exhibit PT symmetry. Investigations of the Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problem…
A higher derivative term is introduced in the kinetic energy of the Higgs Lagrangian in the minimal Standard Model. A logically consistent and {\it finite} field theory is obtained when some excitations of the Higgs field are quantized with…
Preservation of coherence is a fundamental yet subtle phenomenon in open systems. We uncover its relation to symmetries respected by the system Hamiltonian and its coupling to the environment. We discriminate between local and global…
We propose a theoretically consistent modification of gravity in the infrared, which is compatible with all current experimental observations. This is an analog of Higgs mechanism in general relativity, and can be thought of as arising from…
We perform the quantisation of antisymmetric tensor-spinors (fermionic $p$-forms) $\psi^\alpha_{\mu_1 \dots \mu_p}$ using the Batalin-Vilkovisky field-antifield formalism. Just as for the gravitino ($p=1$), an extra propagating…
We study $c<1$ matter coupled to gravity in the Coulomb gas formalism using the double cohomology of the string BRST and Felder BRST charges. We find that states outside the primary conformal grid are related to the states of non-zero ghost…
We introduce the concept of pseudo-reality for complex numbers. We show that this concept, applied to quantum fields, provides a unifying framework for two distinct approaches to pseudo-Hermitian quantum field theories. The first approach…
The "problem of time" in canonical quantum gravity refers to the difficulties involved in defining a Hilbert space structure on states -- and local observables on this Hilbert space -- for a theory in which the spacetime metric is treated…
Maxwell theory can be studied in a gauge which is invariant under conformal rescalings of the metric, and first proposed by Eastwood and Singer. This paper studies the corresponding quantization in flat Euclidean 4-space. The resulting…
In the Horndeski's most general scalar-tensor theories with second-order field equations, we derive the conditions for the avoidance of ghosts and Laplacian instabilities associated with scalar, tensor, and vector perturbations in the…
Viewed through the lens of the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism, we demonstrate that higher-form currents with nonzero ghost number also define higher-form symmetries, directly analogous to the standard higher-form symmetries with ghost number…
The BRST algebra of supergravity is characterized by two different bilinears of the commuting supersymmetry ghosts: a vector $\gamma^\mu$ and a scalar $\phi$, the latter valued in the Yang-Mills Lie algebra. We observe that under BRST…
The new ekpyrotic scenario attempts to solve the singularity problem by involving violation of the null energy condition in a model which combines the ekpyrotic/cyclic scenario with the ghost condensate theory and the curvaton mechanism of…
The unitarity of a Lorentz-invariance violating QED model with higher-order Myers and Pospelov photons coupled to standard fermions is studied. As expected, we find ghost states associated to the higher-order terms that may lead to the loss…
The different roles and natures of spacetime appearing in a quantum field theory and in classical physics are analyzed implying that a quantum theory of gravitation is not necessarily a quantum theory of curved spacetime. Developing an…
We revisit the previously unsolved problems of ensuring Lorentz invariance and non-perturbative unitarity in Lee-Wick theories. We base our discussion on an ultraviolet completion of QED by Lee-Wick ghost fields, which is argued to be…