Fierz-Pauli Mass Term Research Articles

Massive deformations of rank-2 symmetric tensor theory (a.k.a. BRS characterization of Fierz–Pauli massive gravity)

In this paper we consider the issue of massive gravity from a pure field theoretical point of view, as the massive deformation of the gauge theory for a symmetric rank-2 tensor field. We look for the most general massive theory with well defined propagators, imposing the absence of unphysical poles. We find several possibilities, depending on the choice of the gauge fixing term. Amongst these, two solutions with good massless limit are found. The request of the absence of tachyons, alone, does not isolate the Fierz–Pauli case: several examples of massive theories, which may or may not include the Fierz–Pauli mass term, are given. On the other hand, the Fierz–Pauli theory can be uniquely identified by means of a symmetry: it turns out the the Fierz–Pauli massive gravity is the only element of the cohomology of a BRS operator.

Mode-sum construction of the covariant graviton two-point function in the Poincaré patch of de Sitter space

We construct the graviton two-point function for a two-parameter family of linear covariant gauges in n-dimensional de Sitter space. The construction is performed via the mode-sum method in the Bunch-Davies vacuum in the Poincar\'e patch, and a Fierz-Pauli mass term is introduced to regularize the infrared (IR) divergences. The resulting two-point function is de Sitter-invariant, and free of IR divergences in the massless limit (for a certain range of parameters) though analytic continuation with respect to the mass for the pure-gauge sector of the two-point function is necessary for this result. This general result agrees with the propagator obtained by analytic continuation from the sphere [Phys. Rev. D 34, 3670 (1986); Class. Quant. Grav. 18, 4317 (2001)]. However, if one starts with strictly zero mass theory, the IR divergences are absent only for a specific value of one of the two parameters, with the other parameter left generic. These findings agree with recent calculations in the Landau (exact) gauge [J. Math. Phys. 53, 122502 (2012)], where IR divergences do appear in the spin-two (tensor) part of the two-point function. However, we find the strength (including the sign) of the IR divergence to be different from the one found in this reference.

Induced higher-derivative massive gravity on a 2-brane in 4D Minkowski space

In this paper we revisit the problem of localizing gravity in a 2-brane embedded in a 4D Minkowski space to address induction of high derivative massive gravity. We explore the structure of propagators to find well-behaved higher-derivative massive gravity induced on the brane. Exploring a special case in the generalized mass term of the graviton propagator we find a model of consistent higher order gravity with an additional unitary massive spin-2 particle and two massless particles: one spin-0 particle and one spin-1 particle. The condition for the absence of tachyons is satisfied for both ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ signs of the Einstein–Hilbert term on the 2-brane. We also find the Pauli–Fierz mass term added to the new massive gravity in three dimensions and recover the low-dimensional DGP model.

Mass eigenstates in bimetric theory with matter coupling

In this paper we study the ghost-free bimetric action extended by a recently proposed coupling to matter through a composite metric. The equations of motion for this theory are derived using a method which avoids varying the square-root matrix that appears in the matter coupling. We make an ansatz for which the metrics are proportional to each other and find that it can solve the equations provided that one parameter in the action is fixed. In this case, the proportional metrics as well as the effective metric that couples to matter solve Einstein's equations of general relativity including a matter source. Around these backgrounds we derive the quadratic action for perturbations and diagonalize it into generalized mass eigenstates. It turns out that matter only interacts with the massless spin-2 mode whose equation of motion has exactly the form of the linearized Einstein equations, while the field with Fierz-Pauli mass term is completely decoupled. Hence, bimetric theory, with one parameter fixed such that proportional solutions exist, is degenerate with general relativity up to linear order around these backgrounds.

Massive spin-2 particles via embedment of the Fierz–Pauli equations of motion

Here we obtain alternative descriptions of massive spin-2 particles by an embedding procedure of the Fierz–Pauli equations of motion. All models are free of ghosts at the quadratic level, although most of them are of a higher order in derivatives. The models that we obtain can be nonlinearly completed in terms of a dynamic and a fixed metric. They include some f(R) massive gravities recently considered in the literature. In some cases there is an infrared (no derivative) modification of the Fierz–Pauli mass term altogether, with higher order terms in derivatives. The analytic structure of the propagator of the corresponding free theories is not affected by the extra terms in the action, as compared to the usual second order Fierz–Pauli theory.

Non-perturbative Massive de Sitter Solutions

We discuss non-perturbative dynamics of massive gravity in de Sitter space via gravitational Higgs mechanism. We argue that enhanced local symmetry and null (ghost) state at (below) the perturbative Higuchi bound are mere artifacts of not only linearization but also assuming the Fierz-Pauli mass term. We point out that, besides de Sitter, there are vacuum solutions where the space asymptotically is de Sitter both in the past and in the future, the space first contracts, this con- traction slows down, and then reverses into expansion, so there is an epoch where the space appears to be (nearly) flat, even though the vacuum energy density is non-vanishing. We confirm this by constructing a closed-form exact solution to full non-perturbative equations of motion for a special massive de Sitter case. We give a formula for the critical mass above which such solutions apparently do not exist. For the Fierz-Pauli mass term this critical mass coincides with the perturbative Higuchi bound, and the former serves as the non-perturbative reinterpretation of the latter. We argue that, notwithstanding the perturbative ghost, non-perturbatively there is no instability. Instead, there are additional vacuum solutions that may have interesting cosmological implications, which we briefly speculate on.

No vDVZ Discontinuity in Non-Fierz-Pauli Theories

In theories of massive gravity with Fierz-Pauli mass term at the linearized level, perturbative radially symmetric asymptotic solutions are singular in the zero mass limit, hence van Dam-Veltman-Zakharov (vDVZ) discontinuity. In this note, in the context of gravitational Higgs mechanism, we argue that in non-Fierz-Pauli theories, which non-perturbatively are unitary, perturbative radially symmetric asymptotic solutions have a smooth massless limit, hence no vDVZ discontinuity. Perturbative vDVZ discontinuity as an artifact of the Fierz-Pauli mass term becomes evident in the language of constrained gravity, which is the massless limit of gravitational Higgs mechanism.

Covariant approach to the no-ghost theorem in massive gravity

We discuss the no-ghost theorem in the massive gravity in a covariant manner. Using the BRST formalism and St\"{u}ckelberg fields, we first clarify how the Boulware-Deser ghost decouples in the massive gravity theory with Fierz-Pauli mass term. Here we find that the crucial point in the proof is that there is no higher (time) derivative for the St\"{u}ckelberg `scalar' field. We then analyze the nonlinear massive gravity proposed by de Rham, Gabadadze and Tolley, and show that there is no ghost for general admissible backgrounds. In this process, we find a very nontrivial decoupling limit for general backgrounds. We end the paper by demonstrating the general results explicitly in a nontrivial example where there apparently appear higher time derivatives for St\"{u}ckelberg scalar field, but show that this does not introduce the ghost into the theory.

Perturbations for massive gravity theories

A theory of massive gravity depends on a non-dynamical 'reference metric' f_{\mu\nu} which is often taken to be the flat Minkowski metric. In this paper we examine the theory of perturbations on a background with metric g_{\mu\nu} which does not coincide with the reference metric f_{\mu\nu}. We derive the mass term for general perturbations on this background and show that it generically is not of the form of the Fierz-Pauli mass term. We explicitly compute it for some cosmological situations.

Massive spin-2 particle from a rank-2 tensor

Here we obtain all possible second-order theories for a rank-2 tensor which describe a massive spin-2 particle. We start with a general second-order Lagrangian with ten real parameters. The absence of lower spin modes and the existence of two local field redefinitions leads us to only one free parameter. The solutions split into three one-parameter classes according to the local symmetries of the massless limit. In the class which contains the usual massive Fierz-Pauli theory, the subset of spin-1 massless symmetries is maximal. In another class where the subset of spin-0 symmetries is maximal, the massless theory is invariant under Weyl transformations and the mass term does not need to fit in the form of the Fierz-Pauli mass term. In the remaining third class neither the spin-1 nor the spin-0 symmetry is maximal and we have a new family of spin-2 massive theories.

MASSIVE GRAVITY ON CURVED BACKGROUND

We investigate generally covariant theories which admit a Fierz–Pauli mass term for metric perturbations around an arbitrary curved background. For this we restore the general covariance of the Fierz–Pauli mass term by introducing four scalar fields which preserve a certain internal symmetry in their configuration space. It is then apparent that for each given spacetime metric this construction corresponds to a completely different generally covariant massive gravity theory with different symmetries. The proposed approach is verified by explicit analysis of the physical degrees of freedom of massive graviton on de Sitter space.

Pauli-Fierz mass term in modified Plebanski gravity

Abstract We study SO(4) BF theory plus a general quadratic potential, which describes a bi-metric theory of gravity. We identify the profile of the potential leading to a Pauli-Fierz mass term for the massive graviton, thereby avoiding the linearized ghost. We include the Immirzi parameter in our analysis, and find that the mass of the second graviton depends on it. At the non-perturbative level, we find a situation similar to genuine bi-gravities: even choosing the Pauli-Fierz mass term, the ghost mode propagates through the interactions. We present some simple potentials leading to two and three degrees of freedom, and discuss the difficulties of finding a ghost-free bi-gravity with seven degrees of freedom. Finally, we discuss alternative reality conditions for the case of SO(3,1) BF theory, relevant for Lorentzian signature, and give a new solution to the compatibility equation.

Ordinary-derivative formulation of conformal low-spin fields

Conformal fields in flat space-time of even dimension greater than or equal to four are studied. Second-derivative formulation for spin 0,1,2 conformal bosonic fields and first-derivative formulation for spin 1/2,3/2 conformal fermionic fields are developed. For the spin 1,3/2,2 conformal fields, we obtain gauge invariant Lagrangians and the corresponding gauge transformations. Gauge symmetries are realized by involving Stueckelberg fields and auxiliary fields. Realization of global conformal boost symmetries is obtained. Modified Lorentz and de Donder gauge conditions are introduced. Ordinary-derivative Lagrangian of interacting Weyl gravity in 4d is obtained. In our approach, the field content of Weyl gravity, in addition to conformal graviton field, includes one auxiliary rank-2 symmetric tensor field and one Stueckelberg vector field. With respect to the auxiliary tensor field, the Lagrangian contains, in addition to other terms, the Pauli-Fierz mass term. Using the ordinary-derivative Lagrangian of Weyl gravity, we discuss interrelation of Einstein AdS gravity and Weyl gravity via breaking conformal gauge symmetries. Also, we demonstrate use of the light-cone gauge for counting on-shell degrees of freedom in higher-derivative conformal field theories.

Generalized framework for auxiliary extra dimensions

The theory of gravity with an auxiliary extra dimension is known to give the ghost-free cubic completion of the Fierz–Pauli mass term in the decoupling limit. Our work generalizes the boundary condition in the auxiliary dimension that avoids ghosts order-by-order, and to all orders, in the decoupling limit. Furthermore, we extend the formalism to the case of many auxiliary dimensions, and we show that the multi-dimensional extension with the rotationally invariant boundaries of the bulk, is equivalent to the model with a single auxiliary dimension. The above constructions require the appropriate adjustment of the boundary condition, which we discuss in detail. The other possible extension of the original model by the Gauss–Bonnet term is studied as well.

Massive gravity in de Sitter space via the gravitational Higgs mechanism

In this paper we discuss massive gravity in de Sitter space via the gravitational Higgs mechanism, which provides a nonlinear definition thereof. The Higgs scalars are described by a nonlinear sigma model, which includes higher derivative terms required to obtain the Fierz-Pauli mass term. Using the aforesaid nonperturbative definition, we address the appearance of an enhanced local symmetry and a null norm state in the linearized massive gravity in de Sitter space at the special value of the graviton mass to the Hubble parameter ratio. By studying full nonperturbative equations of motion, we argue that there is no enhanced symmetry in the full nonlinear theory. We then argue that in the full nonlinear theory no null norm state is expected to arise at the aforesaid special value. This suggests that no ghost might be present for lower graviton mass values and the full nonlinear theory might be unitary for all values of the graviton mass and the Hubble parameter with no van Dam-Veltman-Zakharov discontinuity. We argue that this is indeed the case by studying the full nonlinear Hamiltonian for the relevant conformal and helicity-0 longitudinal modes. In particular, we argue that no negative norm state is present in the full nonlinear theory.

Massive gravity with mass term in three dimensions

We analyze the effect of the Pauli-Fierz mass term on a recently established, new massive gravity theory in three space-time dimensions. We show that the Pauli-Fierz mass term makes the new massive gravity theory nonunitary. Moreover, although we add the gravitational Chern-Simons term to this model, the situation remains unchanged and the theory stays nonunitary despite that the structure of the graviton propagator is greatly changed. Thus, the Pauli-Fierz mass term is not allowed to coexist with mass-generating higher-derivative terms in the new massive gravity.

General tensor Lagrangians from the gravitational Higgs mechanism

The gravitational Higgs mechanism proposed by 't Hooft in arXiv:0708.3184 involves the spacetime metric gμν as well as the induced metric where ϕa (a = 0, …, 3), as we call it, break all four diffeomorphisms spontaneously via the vacuum expectation values ⟨ϕa⟩ ∝ xa. In this framework, we construct and analyze the most general action density in terms of various invariants involving the curvature tensors, connexion coefficients, and the contractions and the determinants of the two metric fields. We show that this action admits a consistent expansion about the flat background such that the resulting Lagrangian possesses several novel features not found in the linearized Einstein–Hilbert Lagrangian with Fierz–Pauli mass term (LEHL-FP): (i) its kinetic part generalizes that of LELHL-FP by weighing the corresponding structures with certain coefficients generated by invariants, (ii) the entire Lagrangian is ghost– and tachyon–free for mass terms not necessarily in the Fierz–Pauli form, and, (iii) a consistent mass term is generated with no apparent need to higher derivative couplings.

Dual descriptions of spin-two massive particles inD=2+1via master actions

In the first part of this work we show the decoupling (up to contact terms) of redundant degrees of freedom which appear in the covariant description of spin-two massive particles in $D=2+1$. We make use of a master action which interpolates, without solving any constraints, between a first-, second-, and third-order (in derivatives) self-dual model. An explicit dual map between those models is derived. In our approach the absence of ghosts in the third-order self-dual model, which corresponds to a quadratic truncation of topologically massive gravity, is due to the triviality (no particle content) of the Einstein-Hilbert action in $D=2+1$. In the second part of the work, also in $D=2+1$, we prove the quantum equivalence of the gauge invariant sector of a couple of self-dual models of opposite helicities ($+2$ and $\ensuremath{-}2$) and masses ${m}_{+}$ and ${m}_{\ensuremath{-}}$ to a generalized self-dual model which contains a quadratic Einstein-Hilbert action, a Chern-Simons term of first order, and a Fierz-Pauli mass term. The use of a first-order Chern-Simons term instead of a third-order one avoids conflicts with the sign of the Einstein-Hilbert action.

Superluminality in the Fierz–Pauli massive gravity

We study the propagation of helicity-1 gravitons in the Fierz–Pauli massive gravity in nearly Minkowski backgrounds. We show that, generically, there exist backgrounds consistent with field equations, in which the propagation is superluminal. The relevant distances are much longer than the ultraviolet cutoff length inherent in the Fierz–Pauli gravity, so superluminality occurs within the domain of validity of the effective low-energy theory. There remains a possibility that one may get rid of this property by imposing fine tuning relations between the coefficients in the nonlinear generalization of the Fierz–Pauli mass term, order by order in nonlinearity; however, these relations are not protected by any obvious symmetry. Thus, among others, superluminality is a problematic property to worry about when attempting to construct infrared modifications of general relativity.

Duality for massive spin two theories in arbitrary dimensions

Using the parent Lagrangian approach we construct a dual formulation, in the sense originally proposed by Curtright and Freund, of a massive spin two Fierz-Pauli theory in arbitrary dimensions D. This is achieved in terms of a mixed symmetry tensor TA[B1B2...BD−2], without the need of auxiliary fields. The relation of this method with an alternative formulation based on a gauge symmetry principle proposed by Zinoviev is elucidated. We show that the latter formulation in four dimensions, with a given gauge fixing together with a definite sequence of auxiliary fields elimination via their equations of motion, leads to the parent Lagrangian already considered by West completed by a Fierz-Pauli mass term, which in turns yields the Curtright-Freund action. This motivates our generalization to arbitrary dimensions leading to the corresponding extension of the four dimensional result. We identify the transverse true degrees of freedom of the dual theory and verify that their number is in accordance with those of the massive Fierz-Pauli field.