Related papers: Living with Ghosts and their Radiative Corrections
It is shown that a 4D N=1 softly broken supersymmetric theory with higher derivative operators in the Kahler or the superpotential part of the Lagrangian and with an otherwise arbitrary superpotential, can be re-formulated as a theory…
Using a 5D N=1 supersymmetric toy-model compactified on S_1/(Z_2 x Z_2'), with a ``brane-localised'' superpotential, it is shown that higher (dimension) derivative operators are generated as one-loop counterterms to the (mass)^2 of the…
In 4D renormalisable theories, integrating out massive states generates in the low energy effective action higher dimensional operators (derivative or otherwise). Using a superfield language it is shown that a 4D N=1 supersymmetric theory…
We discuss the role of a class of higher dimensional operators in 4D N=1 supersymmetric effective theories. The Lagrangian in such theories is an expansion in momenta below the scale of "new physics" ($\Lambda$) and contains the effective…
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…
We discuss the role that higher derivative operators play in field theory orbifold compactifications on S_1/Z_2 with local and non-local (Scherk-Schwarz) breaking of supersymmetry. Integrating out the bulk fields generates brane-localised…
The ultraviolet completion of gauge theories by higher derivative terms can dramatically change their behavior at high energies. The requirement of asymptotic freedom imposes very stringent constraints that are only satisfied by a small…
The origin and the implications of higher dimensional effective operators in 4-dimensional theories are discussed in non-supersymmetric and supersymmetric cases. Particular attention is paid to the role of general, derivative-dependent…
An alternative to the effective field theory approach to treat ghosts in higher derivative theories is to attempt to integrate them out via the Euclidean path integral formalism. It has been suggested that this method could provide a…
Theories with fourth-order derivatives, including the Lee-Wick finite QED model and Quadratic Gravity, have a better UV behaviour, but the presence of negative metric ghost modes endanger unitarity. Noticing that the ghost acquires a…
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…
In the context of 5D N=1 supersymmetric models compactified on S_1/Z_2 or S_1/(Z_2 x Z_2') orbifolds and with brane-localised superpotential, higher derivative operators are generated radiatively as one-loop counterterms to the mass of the…
Ghost fields in quantum field theory have been a long-standing problem. Specifically, theories with higher derivatives involve ghosts that appear in the Hamiltonian in the form of linear momenta term, which is commonly known as the…
We show that Minkowski higher-derivative quantum field theories are generically inconsistent, because they generate nonlocal, non-Hermitian ultraviolet divergences, which cannot be removed by means of standard renormalization procedures. By…
We explore the decoupling of massive ghost mode in the $4D$ (four-dimensional) theory of the conformal factor of the metric. The model was introduced by Antoniadis and Mottola in [1] and can be regarded as a close analog of the…
Contrary to common belief, it is shown that theories whose field equations are higher than second order in derivatives need not be stricken with ghosts. In particular, the prototypical fourth-order derivative Pais-Uhlenbeck oscillator model…
We analyze the perturbative implications of the most general high derivative approach to quantum gravity based on a diffeomorphism invariant local action. In particular, we consider the super-renormalizable case with a large number of…
In the superfield formalism, two higher-derivative kinetic operators (Lee-Wick operators) are implemented into the standard three dimensional supersymmetric quantum electrodynamics for improving its ultraviolet behavior. It is shown in…
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…
In this paper we study higher-derivative supersymmetric effective field theories focusing on the systematic procedure for the elimination of ghosts from the spectrum. Particular attention is paid to the auxiliary fields, for which the…