Related papers: Ghost-free higher-derivative theory

Quantum systems with a non-conserved probability can be described by means of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and non-unitary dynamics. In this paper, the case in which the degrees of freedom can be partitioned in two subsets with light and…

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,…

In this work, we present a consistent Hamiltonian analysis of cosmological perturbations at all orders. To make the procedure transparent, we consider a simple model and resolve the `gauge-fixing' issues and extend the analysis to scalar…

We perform the Hamiltonian analysis of the bimetric theory of gravity introduced in [arXiv:1109.3515 [hep-th]]. We carefully analyze the requirement of the preservation of all constraints and we find that there is no additional constraint…

We consider the modified Korteweg-de Vries equation, $ u_{xxx} + 6u^2 u_x + u_t \ =\ 0 $, and explore its dynamics in {\it spatial} direction. Higher $x$ derivatives bring about the {\it ghosts}. We argue that these ghosts are benign, i.e.…

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…

We analyze the spectrum of the exactly duality and gauge invariant higher-derivative double field theory. While this theory is based on a chiral CFT and does not correspond to a standard string theory, our analysis illuminates a number of…

The problems that are connected with Lagrangians which depend on higher order derivatives (namely additional degrees of freedom, unbound energy from below, etc.) are absent if effective Lagrangians are considered because the equations of…

Performing Hamiltonian analysis of the massive gravity [9] in full phase space, we see that the theory is ghost free. We also see in a more clear way that this result is intrinsic of the interaction term and does not depend on the variables…

We investigate the existence and behavior of oscillons in theories in which higher derivative terms are present in the Lagrangian, such as galileons. Such theories have emerged in a broad range of settings, from higher-dimensional models,…

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…

The objective of this thesis is to present a viable extension of general relativity free from cosmological singularities. A viable cosmology, in this sense, is one that is free from ghosts, tachyons or exotic matter, while staying true to…

We present a BRST symmetric gaugeon formalism for the two-form gauge fields. A set of vector gaugeon fields is introduced as a quantum gauge freedom. One of the gaugeon fields satisfies a higher derivative field equation; this property is…

A stable physical system has an energy spectrum that is bounded from below. For quantum systems, the dangerous states of unboundedly low energies should decouple and become null. We propose the principle of nullness and apply it to the…

We consider Higgs massive gravity [1,2] and investigate whether a nonlinear ghost in this theory can be avoided. We show that although the theory considered in [10,11] is ghost free in the decoupling limit, the ghost nevertheless reappears…

We discuss a recently proposed variational principle for deriving the variational equations associated to any Lagrangian system. The principle gives simultaneously the Lagrange and the variational equations of the system. We define a new…

We analyze the first-order formulation of the ghost-free bigravity model in three-dimensions known as zwei-dreibein gravity. For a special choice of parameters, it was argued to have an additional gauge symmetry and give rise to a partially…

Using novel nonlinear kinetic terms for gravitons, a large class of bi-gravity models were constructed, which are potentially free of the Boulware-Deser (BD) ghost. In this work, we derive their Hamiltonians using the ADM formalism, and…

Working to lowest non-trivial order in fermions, we consider the four-derivative order corrected Lagrangian and supersymmetry transformations of the Euclidean Bagger-Lambert-Gustavsson theory. By demonstrating supersymmetric invariance of…

For higher derivative theories, using the approach of Caratheodory's equivalent Lagrangian, we show that there exist novel formulations of Hamilton-Jacobi equations, which are different from the formulations derived from Hamilton's…