Related papers: Higher-Derivative Boson Field Theories and Constra…
As an alternative to the covariant Ostrogradski method, we show that higher-derivative relativistic Lagrangian field theories can be reduced to second differential-order by writing them directly as covariant two-derivative theories…
We carry out the extension of the Ostrogradski method to relativistic field theories. Higher-derivative Lagrangians reduce to second differential-order with one explicit independent field for each degree of freedom. We consider a…
We carry out the extension of the covariant Ostrogradski method to fermionic field theories. Higher-derivative Lagrangians reduce to second order differential ones with one explicit independent field for each degree of freedom.
We present a method for the Hamiltonian formulation of field theories that are based on Lagrangians containing second derivatives. The new feature of our formalism is that all four partial derivatives of the field variables are initially…
Higher order derivative theories, generally suffer from instabilities, known as Ostrogradsky instabilities. This issue can be resolved by removing any existing degeneracy present in such theories. We consider a model involving at most…
The alternative version of Hamiltonian formalism for higher-derivative theories is proposed. As compared with the standard Ostrogradski approach it has the following advantages: (i) the Lagrangian, when expressed in terms of new variables…
We use a description based on differential forms to systematically explore the space of scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Within this formalism, we propose a basis for the scalar sector at the lowest order in derivatives of the field and…
This contribution reviews scalar-tensor theories whose Lagrangian contains second-order derivatives of a scalar field but nevertheless propagate only one scalar mode (in addition to the usual two tensor modes), and are thus not plagued with…
We consider the constraints on the effective Lagrangian of the rank-one gauge field on D-branes imposed by the equivalence between the description by ordinary gauge theory and that by non-commutative gauge theory in the presence of a…
We provide a full analysis of ghost free higher derivative field theories with coupled degrees of freedom. Assuming the absence of gauge symmetries, we derive the degeneracy conditions in order to evade the Ostrogradsky ghosts, and analyze…
Ostrogradsky instability generally appears in nondegenerate higher-order derivative theories and this issue can be resolved by removing any existing degeneracy present in such theories. We consider an action involving terms that are at most…
We consider the lagrangian $L=F(R)$ in classical (=non-quantized) two-dimensional fourth-order gravity and give new relations to Einstein's theory with a non-minimally coupled scalar field. We distinguish between scale-invariant lagrangians…
We present all scalar-tensor Lagrangians that are cubic in second derivatives of a scalar field, and that are degenerate, hence avoiding Ostrogradsky instabilities. Thanks to the existence of constraints, they propagate no more than three…
As an example of what happens with physically relevant theories like effective gravity, we consider the covariant relativistic theory of a scalar field of arbitrarily higher differential order. A procedure based on the Legendre…
We consider all degenerate scalar-tensor theories that depend quadratically on second order derivatives of a scalar field, which we have identified in a previous work. These theories, whose degeneracy in general ensures the absence of…
Theories with higher order time derivatives generically suffer from ghost-like instabilities, known as Ostrogradski instabilities. This fate can be avoided by considering "degenerate" Lagrangians, whose kinetic matrix cannot be inverted,…
A discussion of the number of degrees of freedom, and their dynamical properties, in higher-derivative gravitational theories is presented. The complete non-linear sigma model for these degrees of freedom is exhibited using the method of…
We formalize geometrically the idea that the (de Donder) Hamiltonian formulation of a higher derivative Lagrangian field theory can be constructed understanding the latter as a first derivative theory subjected to constraints.
We derive the equations of motion of an action-dependent version of the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian, as a specific instance of the Herglotz variational problem. Action-dependent Lagrangians lead to dissipative dynamics, which cannot be…
An alternative version of Hamiltonian formalism for higher-derivative theories is presented. It is related to the standard Ostrogradski approach by a canonical transformation. The advantage of the approach presented is that the Lagrangian…