Vasiliev's Higher Spin Gravity Research Articles

Higher-spin gravity as a theory on a fixed (anti) de Sitter background

We study Vasiliev's higher-spin gravity in 3+1d. We formulate the theory in the so-called compensator formalism, where the local isometry group SO(4,1) is reduced to the Lorentz group SO(3,1) by a choice of spacelike direction in an internal 4+1d space. We present a consistent extension of Vasiliev's equations that allows this internal direction to become spacetime-dependent. This allows a new point of view on the theory, where spacetime is identified with the de Sitter space of possible internal directions. We thus obtain an interacting theory of higher-spin massless gauge fields on a fixed, maximally symmetric background spacetime. We expect implications for the physical interpretation of higher-spin gravity, for the search for a Lagrangian formulation and/or quantization, as well as for higher-spin holography.

Spontaneous breaking of scale invariance in a D = 3 U(N ) model with Chern-Simons gauge fields

We study spontaneous breaking of scale invariance in the large N limit of three dimensional $U(N)_\kappa$ Chern-Simons theories coupled to a scalar field in the fundamental representation. When a $\lambda_6(\phi^\dagger\cdot\phi)^3$ self interaction term is added to the action we find a massive phase at a certain critical value for a combination of the $\lambda_6$ and 't Hooft's $\lambda=N/\kappa$ couplings. This model attracted recent attention since at finite $\kappa$ it contains a singlet sector which is conjectured to be dual to Vasiliev's higher spin gravity on $AdS_4$. Our paper concentrates on the massive phase of the 3d boundary theory. We discuss the advantage of introducing masses in the boundary theory through spontaneous breaking of scale invariance.

State/operator correspondence in higher-spin dS/CFT

A recently conjectured microscopic realization of the dS4/CFT3 correspondence relating Vasiliev's higher-spin gravity on dS4 to a Euclidean Sp(N) CFT3 is used to illuminate some previously inaccessible aspects of the dS/CFT dictionary. In particular it is argued that states of the boundary CFT3 on S2 are holographically dual to bulk states on geodesically complete, spacelike R3 slices which terminate on an S2 at future infinity. The dictionary is described in detail for the case of free scalar excitations. The ground states of the free or critical Sp(N) model are dual to dS-invariant plane-wave type vacua, while the bulk Euclidean vacuum is dual to a certain mixed state in the CFT3. CFT3 states created by operator insertions are found to be dual to (anti) quasinormal modes in the bulk. A norm is defined on the R3 bulk Hilbert space and shown for the scalar case to be equivalent to both the Zamolodchikov and pseudounitary C-norm of the Sp(N) CFT3.

How higher-spin gravity surpasses the spin-two barrier

Aiming at nonexperts, the key mechanisms of higher-spin extensions of ordinary gravities in four dimensions and higher are explained. An overview of various no-go theorems for low-energy scattering of massless particles in flat spacetime is given. In doing so, a connection between the $S$-matrix and the Lagrangian approaches is made, exhibiting their relative advantages and weaknesses, after which potential loopholes for nontrivial massless dynamics are highlighted. Positive yes-go results for non-Abelian cubic higher-derivative vertices in constantly curved backgrounds are reviewed. Finally, how higher-spin symmetry can be reconciled with the equivalence principle in the presence of a cosmological constant leading to the Fradkin-Vasiliev vertices and Vasiliev's higher-spin gravity with its double perturbative expansion (in terms of numbers of fields and derivatives) is outlined.

Towards a gravity dual of the unitary Fermi gas

Inspired by the method of null dimensional reduction and by the holographic correspondence between Vasiliev's higher-spin gravity and the critical O(N) model, a bulk dual of the unitary and the ideal non-relativistic Fermi gases is proposed.

D = 3 bosonic vector models coupled to Chern-Simons gauge theories

We study three dimensional O(N)_k and U(N)_k Chern-Simons theories coupled to a scalar field in the fundamental representation, in the large N limit. For infinite k this is just the singlet sector of the O(N) (U(N)) vector model, which is conjectured to be dual to Vasiliev's higher spin gravity theory on AdS_4. For large k and N we obtain a parity-breaking deformation of this theory, controlled by the 't Hooft coupling lambda = 4 \pi N / k. For infinite N we argue (and show explicitly at two-loop order) that the theories with finite lambda are conformally invariant, and also have an exactly marginal (\phi^2)^3 deformation. For large but finite N and small 't Hooft coupling lambda, we show that there is still a line of fixed points parameterized by the 't Hooft coupling lambda. We show that, at infinite N, the interacting non-parity-invariant theory with finite lambda has the same spectrum of primary operators as the free theory, consisting of an infinite tower of conserved higher-spin currents and a scalar operator with scaling dimension \Delta=1; however, the correlation functions of these operators do depend on lambda. Our results suggest that there should exist a family of higher spin gravity theories, parameterized by lambda, and continuously connected to Vasiliev's theory. For finite N the higher spin currents are not conserved.