16911918
Transverse symmetry and spin-3/2 fields
We study the possible covariant Lagrangians that describe the propagation of pure spin-3/2 particles. We show that, apart from the well-known Rarita–Schwinger Lagrangian, there is another possibility where the field is described by a γ-traceless combination and that both Lagrangians yield the same physical predictions for the interaction of conserved sources. We also prove that for the case when the spin-2 field is described by a traceless field, there is no possible spin-3/2 action that makes the system supersymmetric. Nevertheless, the interaction between this field and the spin-3/2 field may be possible.
7392933
Consistent extension of Horava gravity.
We propose a natural extension of Horava's model for quantum gravity, which is free from the notorious pathologies of the original proposal. The new model endows the scalar graviton mode with a regular quadratic action and remains power-counting renormalizable. At low energies, it reduces to a Lorentz-violating scalar-tensor gravity theory. The deviations with respect to general relativity can be made weak by an appropriate choice of parameters.
119329279
Gauge symmetry and consistent spin-2 theories
We study Lagrangians with the minimal amount of gauge symmetry required to propagate spin-2 particles without ghosts or tachyons. In general, these Lagrangians also have a scalar mode in their spectrum. We find that, in two cases, the symmetry can be enhanced to a larger group: the whole group of diffeomorphisms or an enhancement involving a Weyl symmetry. We consider the nonlinear completions of these theories. The intuitive completions yield the usual scalar–tensor theories except for the pure spin-2 cases, which correspond to two inequivalent Lagrangians giving rise to Einstein's equations. A more constructive self-consistent approach yields a background-dependent Lagrangian.
117351571
Bigravity and Massive Gravity
We discuss some issues concerning the global structure of spherically symmetric solutions of bigravity. We propose maximal extensions of manifolds where two causal structure coexist. Besides we make some comments about the perturbations of these solutions and their relation to massive gravity and the cosmological constant problem.
118722197
Testing Lorentz invariance of dark matter
We study the possibility to constrain deviations from Lorentz invariance in dark matter (DM) with cosmological observations. Breaking of Lorentz invariance generically introduces new light gravitational degrees of freedom, which we represent through a dynamical timelike vector field. If DM does not obey Lorentz invariance, it couples to this vector field. We find that this coupling affects the inertial mass of small DM halos which no longer satisfy the equivalence principle. For large enough lumps of DM we identify a (chameleon) mechanism that restores the inertial mass to its standard value. As a consequence, the dynamics of gravitational clustering are modified. Two prominent effects are a scale dependent enhancement in the growth of large scale structure and a scale dependent bias between DM and baryon density perturbations. The comparison with the measured linear matter power spectrum in principle allows to bound the departure from Lorentz invariance of DM at the per cent level.
9484455
Bigravity and Lorentz-violating massive gravity
Bigravity is a natural arena where a nonlinear theory of massive gravity can be formulated. If the interaction between the metrics f and g is nonderivative, spherically symmetric exact solutions can be found. At large distances from the origin, these are generically Lorentz-breaking bi-flat solutions (provided that the corresponding vacuum energies are adjusted appropriately). The spectrum of linearized perturbations around such backgrounds contains a massless as well as a massive graviton, with two physical polarizations each. There are no propagating vectors or scalars, and the theory is ghost free (as happens with certain massive gravities with explicit breaking of Lorentz invariance). At the linearized level, corrections to general relativity are proportional to the square of the graviton mass, and so there is no van Dam-Veltam-Zakharov discontinuity. Surprisingly, the solution of linear theory for a static spherically symmetric source does not agree with the linearization of any of the known exact solutions. The latter coincide with the standard Schwarzschild-(anti)-de Sitter solutions of general relativity, with no corrections at all. Another interesting class of solutions is obtained where f and g are proportional to each other. The case of bi-de Sitter solutions is analyzed in some detail.
9228382
Uniqueness of the Fock quantization of scalar fields in spatially flat cosmological spacetimes
We study the Fock quantization of scalar fields in (generically) time dependent scenarios, focusing on the case in which the field propagation occurs in –either a background or effective– spacetime with spatial sections of flat compact topology. The discussion finds important applications in cosmology, like e.g. in the description of test Klein-Gordon fields and scalar perturbations in Friedmann-Robertson-Walker spacetime in the observationally favored flat case. Two types of ambiguities in the quantization are analyzed. First, the infinite ambiguity existing in the choice of a Fock representation for the canonical commutation relations, understandable as the freedom in the choice of inequivalent vacua for a given field. Besides, in cosmological situations, it is customary to scale the fields by time dependent functions, which absorb part of the evolution arising from the spacetime, which is treated classically. This leads to an additional ambiguity, this time in the choice of a canonical pair of field variables. We show that both types of ambiguities are removed by the requirements of (a) invariance of the vacuum under the symmetries of the three-torus, and (b) unitary implementation of the dynamics in the quantum theory. In this way, one arrives at a unique class of unitarily equivalent Fock quantizations for the system. This result provides considerable robustness to the quantum predictions and renders meaningful the confrontation with observation.
42928922
Unitary evolution and uniqueness of the Fock quantization in flat cosmologies with compact spatial sections
We study the Fock quantization of scalar fields with a time dependent mass in cosmological scenarios with flat compact spatial sections. This framework describes physically interesting situations like, e.g., cosmological perturbations in flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker spacetimes, generally including a suitable scaling of them by a background function. We prove that the requirements of vacuum invariance under the spatial isometries and of a unitary quantum dynamics select (a) a unique canonical pair of field variables among all those related by time dependent canonical transformations which scale the field configurations, and (b) a unique Fock representation for the canonical commutation relations of this pair of variables. Though the proof is generalizable to other compact spatial topologies in three or less dimensions, we focus on the case of the three-torus owing to its relevance in cosmology, paying a especial attention to the role played by the spatial isometries in the determination of the representation.
73642712
Inhomogenous loop quantum cosmology with matter
The linearly polarized Gowdy T3 model with a massless scalar field with the same symmetries as the metric is quantized by applying a hybrid approach. The homogeneous geometry degrees of freedom are loop quantized, fact which leads to the resolution of the cosmological singularity, while a Fock quantization is employed for both matter and gravitational inhomogeneities. Owing to the inclusion of the massless scalar field this system allows us to modelize flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmologies filled with inhomogeneities propagating in one direction. It provides a perfect scenario to study the quantum back-reaction between the inhomogeneities and the polymeric homogeneous and isotropic background.