Related papers: Auxiliary fields rescaling in higher-derivative su…
We discuss various realizations of the Weyl group in the background field expansion of quantum gravity, in the presence of a cutoff, as required in applications of the functional renormalization group. In order to study the…
We consider a free massless scalar field coupled to an infinite tower of background higher-spin gauge fields via minimal coupling to the traceless conserved currents. The set of Abelian gauge transformations is deformed to the non-Abelian…
In this thesis, we investigate the method of conformal renormalization applied to theories with degrees of freedom beyond the metric ones. Specifically, we examine this method in the presence of a scalar field. To do this, as part of a…
We study three types of the old-minimal higher-derivative supergravity theories extending the $f(R)$ gravity, towards their use for the inflationary model building in supergravity, by using both superfields and their field components. In…
The theory described by the sum of the Einstein-Hilbert action and the action of conformal scalar field possesses the duality symmetry which includes some special conformal transformation of the metric, and also inversion of scalar field…
The chiral kinetic theory of Weyl fermions with collisions in the presence of weak electric and magnetic fields is derived from quantum field theories. It is found that the side-jump terms in the perturbative solution of Wigner functions…
Linearizing metric-affine~(scalar curvature)$^2$ gravity -- an ``umbrella'' theory that includes as special cases the metrical, Einstein-Cartan, and Weyl quadratic models -- on top of Minkowski spacetime leads to (numerous)…
The coupling of gravity to a scalar field raises a number of interesting questions of principle since the usual minimal coupling obtained by replacing ordinary derivatives with covariant derivatives is not available -- they are the same…
Current generalizations of the classical Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian formulation of General Relativity are reviewed. Some alternative variational principles are known to reproduce Einstein's gravitational equations, and should therefore be…
We use the Chern-Simons formulation of higher spin theories in three dimensions to study aspects of holographic W-gravity. Concepts which were useful in studies of pure bulk gravity theories, such as the Fefferman-Graham gauge and the…
By employing consistent supersymmetric higher derivative terms, we show that the supersymmetric theories may have a sector where the scalar potential does no longer have the conventional form. The theories under consideration contain…
Scale-invariant actions in arbitrary dimensions are investigated in curved space to clarify the relation between scale-, Weyl- and conformal invariance on the classical level. The global Weyl-group is gauged. Then the class of actions is…
Recently, it has been pointed out that dimensionless actions in four dimensional curved spacetime possess a symmetry which goes beyond scale invariance but is smaller than full Weyl invariance. This symmetry was dubbed {\it restricted Weyl…
This dissertation represents work on three different subjects relating to quantum gravity and the AdS/CFT correspondence. First, we review a holographic computation of the one-loop corrections to the Weyl anomaly on Ricci flat backgrounds…
The true nature of gravity is a remarkable open problem in Gravitation. Theoretical and observational motivations open the avenue of alternative theories of gravity. One possibility resorts to nonminimal couplings and non-metricity…
In this proceeding, we review modified theories of gravity with a curvature-matter coupling between an arbitrary function of the scalar curvature and the Lagrangian density of matter. This explicit nonminimal coupling induces a…
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 present a general relativistic framework for studying gravitational effects in quantum mechanical phenomena. We concentrate our attention on the case of ultra-relativistic, spin-1/2 particles propagating in Kerr spacetime. The…
The Weyl double copy is a formula relating solutions of scalar, gauge and gravity theories, and is related to the BCJ double copy for scattering amplitudes. The latter relates Yang-Mills theory to ${\cal N}=0$ supergravity, where an axion…
We consider the construction of gauge theories of gravity, focussing in particular on the extension of local Poincar\'e invariance to include invariance under local changes of scale. We work exclusively in terms of finite transformations,…