Related papers: Topologically massive gravity as a Pais-Uhlenbeck …
The proposal that a strong coupling limit of the five-dimensional type II string theory (M-theory compactified on a 6-torus) in which the Planck length becomes infinite could give a six-dimensional superconformal phase of M-theory is…
What can we learn about quantum gravity from a simple toy model, without actually quantizing it? The toy model consists of a finite number of point particles, coupled to three dimensional Einstein gravity. It has finitely many physical…
We provide a complete classification of all the ways the Pais-Uhlenbeck osicllator might be embedded in two dimensional space. We discuss the Bi-Hamiltonian structures of this model, and examine how alternative Hamiltonian structures might…
We consider renormalizability of topologically massive gravity in three space-time dimensions. With a usual parametrization of the metric tensor, we establish the statement that topologically massive gravity is in fact renormalizable. In…
We consider, in Minkowski spacetime, higher-order Maxwell Lagrangians with terms quadratic in the derivatives of the field strength tensor, and study their degrees of freedom. Using a 3+1 decomposition of these Lagrangians, we extract the…
We study the canonical structure of the Bergshoeff-Hohm-Townsend massive gravity, linearized around a maximally symmetric background. At the critical point in the space of parameters, defined by $\Lambda_0/m^2=-1$, we discover an extra…
In 2017, G. P. de Brito and co-workers suggested a covariant generalization of the Kempf-Mangano algebra in a $(D+1)$-dimensional Minkowski space-time [A. Kempf and G. Mangano, Phys. Rev. D \textbf{55}, 7909 (1997); G. P. de Brito, P. I. C.…
In this paper we discuss massive gravity in Minkowski space via gravitational Higgs mechanism, which provides a non-perturbative definition thereof. Using this non-perturbative definition, we address the issue of unitarity by studying the…
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 study the large gauge transformations of massless higher-spin fields in four-dimensional Minkowski space. Upon imposing suitable fall-off conditions, providing higher-spin counterparts of the Bondi gauge, we observe the existence of an…
Using a first order Chern-Simons-like formulation of gravity we systematically construct higher-derivative extensions of general relativity in three dimensions. The construction ensures that the resulting higher-derivative gravity theories…
It is shown that two$(1 + 1)$-dimensional (2D) free Abelian- and self-interacting non-Abelian gauge theories (without any interaction with matter fields) belong to a new class of topological field theories. These new theories capture…
This review is dedicated to recent progress in the field of classical, interacting, massive spin-2 theories, with a focus on ghost-free bimetric theory. We will outline its history and its development as a nontrivial extension and…
The existence of a ghost free theory of massive gravity begs for an interpretation as a Higgs phase of General Relativity. We revisit the study of massive gravity as a Higgs phase. Absent a compelling microphysical model of spontaneous…
We show that that four dimensional conformal gravity plus a simple Neumann boundary condition can be used to get the semiclassical (or tree level) wavefunction of the universe of four dimensional asymptotically de-Sitter or Euclidean…
Ostrogradsky's method allows one to construct Hamiltonian formulation for a higher derivative system. An application of this approach to the Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator yields the Hamiltonian which is unbounded from below. This leads to the…
We study the degrees of freedom of the metric in a general class of higher derivative gravity models, which are interesting in the context of quantum gravity as they are (super)renormalizable. First, we linearize the theory for a flat…
We introduce a new class of two dimensional gravity models using ideas motivated by the Teleparallel Equivalent of General Relativity. This leads to a rather natural formulation of a theory that has close links with Jackiw-Teitelboim…
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…
Topological quantum field theories containing matter fields are constructed by twisting $N=2$ supersymmetric quantum field theories. It is shown that $N=2$ chiral (antichiral) multiplets lead to topological sigma models while $N=2$ twisted…