Related papers: Modified Korteweg-de Vries Equation as a System wi…
We consider finite and infinite-dimensional ghost-ridden dynamical systems whose Hamiltonians involve non positive definite kinetic terms. We point out the existence of three classes of such systems where the ghosts are benign, i.e. systems…
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…
Interacting theories with higher derivatives involve ghosts. They correspond to instabilities that display themselves at the classical level. We notice that comparatively "benign" mechanical higher-derivative systems exist where the…
The dynamics of the poles of the two--soliton solutions of the modified Korteweg--de Vries equation $$ u_t + 6u^2u_x + u_{xxx} = 0 $$ are determined. A consequence of this study is the existence of classes of smooth, complex--valued…
Recent work has shown that non-local modifications of the Einstein equations can have interesting cosmological consequences and can provide a dynamical origin for dark energy, consistent with existing data. At first sight these theories are…
We discuss exactly solvable systems involving integrals of motion with higher powers of momenta. If one of these integrals is chosen for the Hamiltonian, we obtain a higher-derivative system involving ghosts, i.e. a system whose Hamiltonian…
Understanding the role of higher derivatives is probably one of the most relevant questions in quantum gravity theory. Already at the semiclassical level, when gravity is a classical background for quantum matter fields, the action of…
In this paper we consider some dissipative versions of the modified Korteweg de Vries equation $u_t+u_{xxx}+|D_x|^{\alpha}u+u^2u_x=0$ with $0<\alpha\leq 3$. We prove some well-posedness results on the associated Cauchy problem in the…
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…
The Korteweg-de Vries equation u_t+uu_x+u_{xxx}=0 is PT symmetric (invariant under space-time reflection). Therefore, it can be generalized and extended into the complex domain in such a way as to preserve the PT symmetry. The result is the…
Negative kinetic energies correspond to ghost degrees of freedom, which are potentially of relevance for cosmology, quantum gravity, and high energy physics. We present a novel wide class of stable mechanical systems where a positive energy…
We suggest and briefly review a new sort of superrenormalizable models of higher derivative quantum gravity. The higher derivative terms in the action can be introduced in such a way that all the unphysical massive states have complex…
The perturbed Korteweg--de Vries equation is considered. This equation is used for the description of one--dimensional viscous gas dynamics, nonlinear waves in a liquid with gas bubbles and nonlinear acoustic waves. The integrability of…
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…
This work focuses on the Cauchy problem for the nonlocal modified Korteweg-de Vries equation $$ u_t(x,t)+6u(x,t)u(-x,-t)u_x(x,t)+u_{xxx}(x,t)=0, $$ with the oscillating step-like boundary conditions: $u(x,t)\to 0$ as $x\to-\infty$ and…
The inclusion of higher derivatives is a necessary condition for a renormalizable or superrenormalizable local theory of quantum gravity. On the other hand, higher derivatives lead to classical instabilities and a loss of unitarity at the…
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…
We give a simple discussion of ghosts, unitarity violation, negative norm states and quantum vs classical behavior in the simplest model with four derivative action - the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator. We also point out that the normalizable…
Many theories of modified gravity with higher order derivatives are usually ignored because of serious problems that appear due to an additional ghost degree of freedom. Most dangerously, it causes an immediate decay of the vacuum. However,…
We discuss how to extract information about the cosmological constant from the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, considered as an eigenvalue of a Sturm-Liouville problem. The equation is approximated to one loop with the help of a variational…