Weyl Gauge Field Research Articles

Classical gravitational anomalies of Liouville theory

We show that for classical Liouville field theory, diffeomorphism invariance, Weyl invariance and locality cannot hold together. This is due to a genuine Virasoro center, present in the theory, that leads to an energy-momentum tensor with non-tensorial conformal transformations, in flat space, and with a non-vanishing trace, in curved space. Our focus is on a field-independent term, proportional to the square of the Weyl gauge field, WμWμ, that makes the action Weyl-invariant and was disregarded in previous investigations of Weyl and conformal symmetry. We show this term to be related to the classical center of the Virasoro algebra. The mechanism uncovered here is a classical version of the quantum anomalous phenomenon: the generalization to curved space only allows to keep one of the two symmetries enjoyed by the flat space theory, either Lorentz (diffeomorphism) or conformal invariance.

Black hole solutions in the quadratic Weyl conformal geometric theory of gravity

We consider numerical black hole solutions in the Weyl conformal geometry and its associated conformally invariant Weyl quadratic gravity. In this model, Einstein gravity (with a positive cosmological constant) is recovered in the spontaneously broken phase of Weyl gravity after the Weyl gauge field (omega _{mu }) becomes massive through a Stueckelberg mechanism and it decouples. As a first step in our investigations, we write down the conformally invariant gravitational action, containing a scalar degree of freedom and the Weyl vector. The field equations are derived from the variational principle in the absence of matter. By adopting a static spherically symmetric geometry, the vacuum field equations for the gravitational, scalar, and Weyl fields are obtained. After reformulating the field equations in a dimensionless form, and by introducing a suitable independent radial coordinate, we obtain their solutions numerically. We detect the formation of a black hole from the presence of a Killing horizon for the timelike Killing vector in the metric tensor components, indicating the existence of the singularity in the metric. Several models corresponding to different functional forms of the Weyl vector are considered. An exact black hole model corresponding to a Weyl vector having only a radial spacelike component is also obtained. The thermodynamic properties of the Weyl geometric type black holes (horizon temperature, specific heat, entropy, and evaporation time due to Hawking luminosity) are also analyzed in detail.

BRST formalism of Weyl conformal gravity

We present the BRST formalism of a Weyl conformal gravity in Weyl geometry. Choosing the extended de Donder gauge-fixing condition (or harmonic gauge condition) for the general coordinate invariance and the new scalar gauge-fixing for the Weyl invariance we find that there is a Poincar${\rm{\acute{e}}}$-like $\IOSp(10|10)$ supersymmetry as in a Weyl invariant scalar-tensor gravity in Riemann geometry. We also point out that there is a gravitational conformal symmetry in quantum gravity although there is a massive Weyl gauge field as a result of spontaneous symmetry breakdown of Weyl gauge symmetry and account for how the gravitational conformal symmetry is spontaneously broken to the Poincar\'e symmetry. The corresponding massless Nambu-Goldstone bosons are the graviton and the dilaton. We also prove the unitarity of the physical S-matrix on the basis of the BRST quartet mechanism.

Standard Model in Weyl conformal geometry

We study the Standard Model (SM) in Weyl conformal geometry. This embedding is truly minimal with no new fields beyond the SM spectrum and Weyl geometry. The action inherits a gauged scale symmetry D(1) (known as Weyl gauge symmetry) from the underlying geometry. The associated Weyl quadratic gravity undergoes spontaneous breaking of D(1) by a geometric Stueckelberg mechanism in which the Weyl gauge field (omega _mu ) acquires mass by “absorbing” the spin-zero mode of the {tilde{R}}^2 term in the action. This mode also generates the Planck scale and the cosmological constant. The Einstein-Proca action emerges in the broken phase. In the presence of the SM, this mechanism receives corrections (from the Higgs) and it can induce electroweak (EW) symmetry breaking. The EW scale is proportional to the vev of the Stueckelberg field. The Higgs field (sigma ) has direct couplings to the Weyl gauge field (sigma ^2omega _mu omega ^mu ). The SM fermions only acquire such couplings for non-vanishing kinetic mixing of the gauge fields of D(1)times U(1)_Y. If this mixing is present, part of the mass of Z boson is not due to the usual Higgs mechanism, but to its mixing with massive omega _mu . Precision measurements of Z mass then set lower bounds on the mass of omega _mu which can be light (few TeV). In the early Universe the Higgs field can have a geometric origin, by Weyl vector fusion, and the Higgs potential can drive inflation. The dependence of the tensor-to-scalar ratio r on the spectral index n_s is similar to that in Starobinsky inflation but mildly shifted to lower r by the Higgs non-minimal coupling to Weyl geometry.

Palatini quadratic gravity: spontaneous breaking of gauged scale symmetry and inflation

We study quadratic gravity R^2+R_{[mu nu ]}^2 in the Palatini formalism where the connection and the metric are independent. This action has a gauged scale symmetry (also known as Weyl gauge symmetry) of Weyl gauge field v_mu = (tilde{Gamma }_mu -Gamma _mu )/2, with tilde{Gamma }_mu (Gamma _mu ) the trace of the Palatini (Levi-Civita) connection, respectively. The underlying geometry is non-metric due to the R_{[mu nu ]}^2 term acting as a gauge kinetic term for v_mu . We show that this theory has an elegant spontaneous breaking of gauged scale symmetry and mass generation in the absence of matter, where the necessary scalar field (phi ) is not added ad-hoc to this purpose but is “extracted” from the R^2 term. The gauge field becomes massive by absorbing the derivative term partial _mu ln phi of the Stueckelberg field (“dilaton”). In the broken phase one finds the Einstein–Proca action of v_mu of mass proportional to the Planck scale Msim langle phi rangle , and a positive cosmological constant. Below this scale v_mu decouples, the connection becomes Levi-Civita and metricity and Einstein gravity are recovered. These results remain valid in the presence of non-minimally coupled scalar field (Higgs-like) with Palatini connection and the potential is computed. In this case the theory gives successful inflation and a specific prediction for the tensor-to-scalar ratio 0.007le rle 0.01 for current spectral index n_s (at 95% CL) and N=60 efolds. This value of r is mildly larger than in inflation in Weyl quadratic gravity of similar symmetry, due to different non-metricity. This establishes a connection between non-metricity and inflation predictions and enables us to test such theories by future CMB experiments.

Higgs potential from Weyl conformal gravity

We consider Weyl’s conformal gravity coupled to a complex matter field in Weyl geometry. It is shown that a Higgs potential naturally arises from a [Formula: see text] term in moving from the Jordan frame to the Einstein frame. A massless Nambu–Goldstone boson, which stems from spontaneous symmetry breakdown of the Weyl gauge invariance, is absorbed into the Weyl gauge field, thereby the gauge field becoming massive. We present a model where the gravitational interaction generates a Higgs potential whose form is a perfect square. Finally, we show that a theory in the Jordan frame is gauge-equivalent to the corresponding theory in the Einstein frame via the BRST formalism.

Weyl scaling invariant R2 gravity for inflation and dark matter

Inflation in the early universe can generate the nearly conformal invariant fluctuation that leads to the structures we observe at the present. The simple viable Starobinsky R2 inflation has an approximate global scale symmetry. We study the conformal symmetric Weyl Rˆ2 and general F(Rˆ) theories and demonstrate their equivalence to Einstein gravity coupled with a scalar and a Weyl gauge field. The scalar field in Weyl Rˆ2 gravity can be responsible for inflation with Starobinsky model as the attractor, potentially distinguishable from the latter by future experiments. The intrinsic Weyl gauge boson becomes massive once the Einstein frame is fixed, and constitutes as a dark matter candidate with mass up to ∼5×1016GeV.

Conformal α-attractor inflation with Weyl gauge field

Conformal scaling invariance should play an important role for understanding the origin and evolution of universe. During inflation period, it appears to be an approximate symmetry, but how it is broken remains uncertain. The appealing α-attractor inflation implements the spontaneous breaking of conformal symmetry and a mysterious SO(1,1) global symmetry. To better understand the SO(1,1) symmetry, here we present a systematic treatment of the inflation models with local conformal symmetry in a more general formalism. We find SO(2) is the other possible symmetry in the presence of Weyl gauge field. We also obtain all the analytic solutions that relate the inflation fields between Jordan frame and Einstein frame. We illustrate a class of inflation models with the approximate SO(2) symmetry and trigonometric potential, and find that it can fit the current observations and will be probed by future CMB experiments.

Stueckelberg breaking of Weyl conformal geometry and applications to gravity

Weyl conformal geometry may play a role in early cosmology where effective theory at short distances becomes conformal. Weyl conformal geometry also has a built-in geometric Stueckelberg mechanism: it is broken spontaneously to Riemannian geometry after a Weyl gauge transformation (of "gauge fixing") while Stueckelberg mechanism re-arranges the degrees of freedom, conserving their number ($n_{df}$). The Weyl gauge field ($\omega_\mu$) of local scale transformations acquires a mass after absorbing a compensator (dilaton), decouples, and Weyl connection becomes Riemannian. Mass generation has thus a dynamic origin, as a transition from Weyl to Riemannian geometry. We show that a "gauge fixing" symmetry transformation of the original Weyl quadratic gravity action in its Weyl geometry formulation immediately gives the Einstein-Proca action for the Weyl gauge field and a positive cosmological constant, plus matter action (if present). As a result, the Planck scale is an {\it emergent} scale, where Weyl gauge symmetry is spontaneously broken and Einstein action is the broken phase of Weyl action. This is in contrast to local scale invariant models (no gauging) where a negative kinetic term (ghost dilaton) remains present and $n_{df}$ is not conserved when this symmetry is broken. The mass of $\omega_\mu$, setting the non-metricity scale, can be much smaller than $M_\text{Planck}$, for ultraweak values of the coupling ($q$). If matter is present, a positive contribution to the Planck scale from a scalar field ($\phi_1$) vev induces a negative (mass)$^2$ term for $\phi_1$ and spontaneous breaking of the symmetry under which it is charged. These results are immediate when using a Weyl geometry formulation of an action instead of its Riemannian picture. Briefly, Weyl gauge symmetry is physically relevant and its role in high scale physics should be reconsidered.

Planck scale from broken local conformal invariance in Weyl geometry

It is shown that in the quadratic gravity based on Weyl's conformal geometry, the Planck mass scale can be generated from quantum effects of the gravitational field and the Weyl gauge field via the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism where a local scale symmetry, that is, conformal symmetry, is broken. At the same time, the Weyl gauge field acquires mass less than the Planck mass by absorbing the dilaton. The shape of the effective potential is almost flat owing to a gravitational character and high symmetries, so our model would provide an attractive model for the inflationary universe. We also present a toy model showing spontaneous symmetry breakdown of a scale symmetry by moving from the Jordan frame to the Einstein one, and point out its problem.

Weyl gauge symmetry and its spontaneous breaking in the standard model and inflation

We discuss the local (gauged) Weyl symmetry and its spontaneous breaking and apply it to model building beyond the Standard Model (SM) and inflation. In models with non-minimal couplings of the scalar fields to the Ricci scalar, that are conformal invariant, the spontaneous generation by a scalar field(s) vev of a positive Newton constant demands a negative kinetic term for the scalar field, or vice-versa. This is naturally avoided in models with additional Weyl gauge symmetry. The Weyl gauge field $\omega_\mu$ couples to the scalar sector but not to the fermionic sector of a SM-like Lagrangian. The field $\omega_\mu$ undergoes a Stueckelberg mechanism and becomes massive after "eating" the (radial mode) would-be-Goldstone field (dilaton $\rho$) in the scalar sector. Before the decoupling of $\omega_\mu$, the dilaton can act as UV regulator and maintain the Weyl symmetry at the {\it quantum} level, with relevance for solving the hierarchy problem. After the decoupling of $\omega_\mu$, the scalar potential depends only on the remaining (angular variables) scalar fields, that can be the Higgs field, inflaton, etc. We show that successful inflation is then possible with one of these scalar fields identified as the inflaton. While our approach is derived in the Riemannian geometry with $\omega_\mu$ introduced to avoid ghosts, the natural framework is that of Weyl geometry which for the same matter spectrum is shown to generate the same Lagrangian, up to a total derivative.

Spontaneous breaking of Weyl quadratic gravity to Einstein action and Higgs potential

We consider the (gauged) Weyl gravity action, quadratic in the scalar curvature ( tilde{R} ) and in the Weyl tensor ( {tilde{C}}_{mu nu rho sigma} ) of the Weyl conformal geometry. In the absence of matter fields, this action has spontaneous breaking in which the Weyl gauge field ωμ becomes massive (mass mω ∼ Planck scale) after “eating” the dilaton in the tilde{R} 2 term, in a Stueckelberg mechanism. As a result, one recovers the Einstein-Hilbert action with a positive cosmological constant and the Proca action for the massive Weyl gauge field ωμ. Below mω this field decouples and Weyl geometry becomes Riemannian. The Einstein-Hilbert action is then just a “low-energy” limit of Weyl quadratic gravity which thus avoids its previous, long-held criticisms. In the presence of matter scalar field ϕ1 (Higgs-like), with couplings allowed by Weyl gauge symmetry, after its spontaneous breaking one obtains in addition, at low scales, a Higgs potential with spontaneous electroweak symmetry breaking. This is induced by the non-minimal coupling {xi}_1{phi}_1^2tilde{R} to Weyl geometry, with Higgs mass ∝ ξ1/ξ0 (ξ0 is the coefficient of the tilde{R} 2 term). In realistic models ξ1 must be classically tuned ξ1 ≪ ξ0. We comment on the quantum stability of this value.

A note on noncompact and nonmetricit quadratic curvature gravity theories

In this note, we evaluate the Weyl-invariant quadratic curvature tensors for the particular Weyl gauge field constructed in the $3+1$-dimensional noncompact Weyl-Einstein-Yang-Mills model. We subsequently extend the model to its higher curvature version. We also compute the Weyl-invariant extension of the topological Gauss-Bonnet term for this specific choice of vector field.

A modified variational principle for gravity in the modified Weyl geometry

The usual interpretation of the Weyl geometry is modified in two senses. First, both the additive Weyl connection and its variation are treated as (1, 2) tensors under the action of the Weyl covariant derivative. Second, a modified covariant derivative operator is introduced which still preserves the tensor structure of the theory. With its help, the Riemann tensor in the Weyl geometry can be written in a more compact form. We justify this modification in detail from several aspects and obtain some insights along the way. By introducing some new transformation rules for the variation of tensors under the action of the Weyl covariant derivative, we find a Weyl version of the Palatini identity for the Riemann tensor. To derive the energy–momentum tensor and equations of motion for gravity in the Weyl geometry, one naturally applies this identity at first, and then converts the variation of the additive Weyl connection to those of the metric tensor and Weyl gauge field. We also discuss possible connections to the current literature on the Weyl-invariant extension of massive gravity and the variational principles in f(R) gravity.

Weyl-invariant higher curvature gravity theories inndimensions

We study the particle spectrum and the unitarity of the generic n-dimensional Weyl-invariant quadratic curvature gravity theories around their (anti-)de Sitter [(A)dS] and flat vacua. Weyl symmetry is spontaneously broken in (A)dS and radiatively broken at the loop level in flat space. Save the three dimensional theory (which is the Weyl-invariant extension of the new massive gravity), the graviton remains massless and the unitarity requires that the only viable Weyl-invariant quadratic theory is the Weyl-invariant extension of the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory. The Weyl gauge field on the other hand becomes massive. Symmetry breaking scale fixes all the dimensionful parameters in the theory.

Nonlinear realization and Weyl scale invariantp=2brane

The action of Weyl scale invariant $p=2$ brane which breaks the target super-Weyl scale symmetry in the $N=1$, $D=4$ superspace down to the lower dimensional Weyl symmetry $W(1,2)$ is derived by the approach of nonlinear realization. The dual form action for the Weyl scale invariant supersymmetric D2 brane is also constructed. The interactions of localized matter fields on the brane with the Nambu-Goldstone fields associated with the breaking of the symmetries in the superspace and one spatial translation directions are obtained through the Cartan one-forms of the Coset structures. The covariant derivatives for the localized matter fields are also obtained by introducing Weyl gauge field as the compensating field corresponding to the local scale transformation on the brane world volume.

WEYL GEOMETRY QUANTIZATION IN SOLAR SYSTEM

In the present work we show that planetary mean distances can be calculated through considering the Weyl geometry. We interpret the Weyl gauge field as a vector field associated with the hypercharge of the particles and apply the gauge concept of the Weyl geometry. The results obtained are shown to agree with the observed orbits of all the planets and of the asteroid belt in the solar system, with some empty states.

THE WEYL NON-ABELIAN GAUGE FIELD AND THE THOMAS PRECESSION

The connection between the Fermi–Walker transport and the Weyl non-Abelian gauge field is established. A theoretical possibility of detecting the Weyl gauge field caused by the Thomas precession of a gyroscope is discussed.

On Behavior of Weyl's Gauge Field11The project supported in part by National Natural Science Foundation of China.

We consider a system, consisting of a metric tensor , a scalar field , a Weyl's gauge field and a scalar matter field , which is invariant under general coordinate transformation and Weyl's gauge transformation. Two kinds of identities and field equations are given and discussed. A special space-time with is considered in a gauge-independent manner. We point out that in a correct treatment where is not regarded as an independent variable, an auxiliary condition for Weyl's gauge field cannot be obtained. Therefore Weyl's gauge field can be treated as a usual field.

Locally equilibrium diffusion processes. II. Generalized stochastic mechanics and plastic yielding

The locally equilibrium diffusion process is considered in which two mean velocities of the diffusing particles appear: the mean arrival velocity to the point and the mean starting velocity from the point. It is shown that such a diffusion process can be described by generalized Nelson stochastic mechanics. Equations describing the coupling of the diffusion process with the plastic yielding process are formulated. It is shown that the increments of the plastic strains caused by the dislocation motion can be described by a Weyl gauge field.