Related papers: Dilatations Revisited
We reveal a novel aspect of scale-invariant actions that allow matter to couple with a dilaton field: $\,$The dynamics of the dilaton can induce variations in the Planck constant $\hbar$ and speed of light $c$. $\,$Our mechanism for…
To guarantee the stability of the cosmological constant sector against radiative corrections coming from quantum matter fields, one of the most natural ingredients to invoke is the symmetry under scale transformations of the gravitational…
The possibility of mass in the context of scale-invariant, generally covariant theories, is discussed. Scale invariance is considered in the context of a gravitational theory where the action, in the first order formalism, is of the form $S…
We investigate the relation between dilatation and conformal symmetries in the statistical mechanics of flexible crystalline membranes. We analyze, in particular, a well-known model which describes the fluctuations of a continuum elastic…
We make use of the language of non-linear realizations to analyze electro-weak symmetry breaking scenarios in which a light dilaton emerges from the breaking of a nearly conformal strong dynamics, and compare the phenomenology of the…
We consider classically scale-invariant theories with non-minimally coupled scalar fields, where the Planck mass and the hierarchy of physical scales are dynamically generated. The classical theories possess a fixed point, where scale…
We give a non-perturbative proof that any 4D unitary and Lorentz-invariant quantum field theory with a conserved scale current is in fact conformally invariant. We show that any scale invariant theory (unitary or not) must have either a…
Conformal Field Theory in a Minkowski setting is discussed in an embedding space approach, paying special attention to causality constraints for four-point amplitudes. The physics of dilatation and Lorentz boost is emphasized in specifying…
Many growth processes lead to intriguing stochastic patterns and complex fractal structures which exhibit local scale invariance properties. Such structures can often be described effectively by space-time trajectories of interacting…
Scale invariance may be a classical symmetry which is broken radiatively. This provides a simple way to stabilise the scale of electroweak symmetry breaking against radiative corrections. But for such a theory to be fully realistic, it must…
We construct a Dirac equation that is consistent with one of the recently-proposed schemes for a "doubly-special relativity", a relativity with both an observer-independent velocity scale (still naturally identified with the speed-of-light…
Maxwell equations and the equations of General Relativity are scale invariant in empty space. The presence of charge or currents in electromagnetism or the presence of matter in cosmology are preventing scale invariance. The question arises…
We study the response of a classical massless minimally coupled scalar to a static point scalar charge on de Sitter. By considering explicit solutions of the problem we conclude that -- even though the dynamics formally admits dilatation…
Galaxy velocities in clusters, rotation curves of galaxies, and "vertical" oscillations in the Milky Way currently show too high velocities with respect to the masses thought to be involved. While these velocity excesses are currently…
Conserved quantities are obtained and analyzed in the new models with global scale invariance recently proposed. Such models allow for non tivial scalar field potentials and masses for particles, so that the scale symmetry must be broken…
Presence of higher derivative terms in the Horava model of gravity can generate an instability in the Minkowski ground state. This in turn leads to a space dependent vacuum metric with a length scale determined by the higher derivative…
Nonlinear deformations of relativistic symmetries at the Planck scale are usually addressed in terms of modified dispersion relations. We explore here an alternative route by directly deforming the two-point functions of an underlying field…
We discuss the cosmological constant problem in the light of dilatation symmetry and its possible anomaly. For dilatation symmetric quantum theories realistic asymptotic cosmology is obtained provided the effective potential has a…
We present several Galileo invariant Lagrangians, which are invariant against Poincare transformations defined in one higher (spatial) dimension. Thus these models, which arise in a variety of physical situations, provide a representation…
We study the consequences of the modification of the phase space structure of General Relativity imposed by breaking the full diffeomorphism invariance but retaining the time foliation preserving diffeomorphisms. We examine the different…