Related papers: Ghost-free 2-form fields in cosmology: implication…
A model of the self-interacting charged massive spin-two field is constructed. We investigate several properties of the model and find that the trivial vacuum is only allowed due to the internal symmetry. This suggests that the Higgs…
We perform an in-depth analysis of the transformation rules under duality for couplings of theories containing multiple scalars, $p$-form gauge fields, linearized gravitons or $(p,1)$ mixed symmetry tensors. Following a similar reasoning to…
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…
We introduce new techniques that can preserve unitarity of the system including ghost particles. Negative norms of the particles can be involved in zero-norm states by constraints of the physical space. These are useful to apply the…
Field theories which violate the null energy condition (NEC) are of interest for the solution of the cosmological singularity problem and for models of cosmological dark energy with the equation of state parameter $w<-1$. We discuss the…
We systematically study the most general Lorentz-violating graviton mass invariant under three-dimensional Eucledian group using the explicitly covariant language. We find that at general values of mass parameters the massive graviton has…
We study perturbative general relativity with a two-form and a dilaton using the double field theory formulation which features explicit index factorisation at the Lagrangian level. Explicit checks to known tree level results are performed.…
It is shown that spatially flat, isotropic cosmologies derived from the Brans--Dicke gravity action exhibit a scale factor duality invariance. This classical duality is then associated with a hidden $N=2$ supersymmetry at the quantum level…
A manifestly gauge invariant formulation of the coupling of the Maxwell theory with an Einstein Cartan geometry is given, where the space time torsion originates from a massless Kalb-Ramond field augmented by suitable U(1) Chern Simons…
In the first order formalism of gravitational theories, the spacetime connection is considered as an independent variable to vary together with the metric. However, the metric still generates its Levi-Civita connection that turns out to…
We study the degrees of freedom in New General Relativity -- flat and metric compatible family of theories -- around the Minkowski background in a gauge invariant manner. First, we confirm the decoupling case, in which the theory reduces to…
We consider theories describing the dynamics of a four-dimensional metric, whose Lagrangian is diffeomorphism invariant and depends at most on second derivatives of the metric. Imposing degeneracy conditions we find a set of Lagrangians…
The vacuum Einstein equations admit a formulation closely analogous to the source-free Maxwell theory. In particular, the linearized equations exhibit an electric-magnetic duality symmetry. We develop a framework that makes this analogy…
Many modifications of gravity introduce new scalar degrees of freedom, and in such theories matter fields typically couple to an effective metric that depends on both the true metric of spacetime and on the scalar field and its derivatives.…
The linearized massive gravity in three dimensions, over any maximally symmetric background, is known to be presented in a self-dual form as a first order equation which encodes not only the massive Klein-Gordon type field equation but also…
While most fundamental interactions in nature are known to be mediated by quantized fields, the possibility has been raised that gravity may behave differently. Making this concept precise enough to test requires consistent models. Here we…
We consider the theory of a generic rank-2 tensor field in three spacetime dimensions, which involves a symmetric tensor field transforming under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms, and a vector field, whose gauge transformation depends on a…
We study the degrees of freedom of the Proca theory, non-minimally coupled to gravity. In the Minkowski background, this theory propagates five degrees of freedom -- a massive longitudinal mode, two massive vector ones, and two massless…
The theory of a free spin-2 field on Minkowski spacetime has 1-form and $(d-3)$-form symmetries associated with conserved currents formed by contractions of the linearised Riemann tensor with conformal Killing-Yano 2-forms. We show that a…
In the context of perturbative quantum field theory, the addition of quadratic-curvature invariants to the Einstein-Hilbert action makes it possible to achieve strict renormalizability in four dimensions. The additional terms $R^2$ and…