Evidence for and obstructions to nonlinear partially massless gravity

Claudia de Rham, Kurt Hinterbichler, Rachel A. Rosen, and Andrew J. Tolley
Phys. Rev. D 88, 024003 – Published 2 July 2013

Abstract

Nonlinear partially massless (PM) gravity, if it exists, is a theory of massive gravity in which the graviton has four propagating degrees of freedom. In PM gravity, a scalar gauge symmetry removes one of the five modes of the massive graviton. This symmetry ties the value of the cosmological constant to the mass of the graviton, which in turn can be kept small in a technically natural way. Thus, PM gravity could offer a compelling solution to the old cosmological constant problem. In this work we look for such a theory among the known ghost-free massive gravity models with a de Sitter reference metric. We find that despite the existence of strong supporting evidence for the existence of a PM theory of gravity, technical obstructions arise which preclude its formulation using the standard massive gravity framework.

  • Figure
  • Received 28 April 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.88.024003

© 2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Claudia de Rham1,*, Kurt Hinterbichler2,†, Rachel A. Rosen3,‡, and Andrew J. Tolley1,§

  • 1Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
  • 2Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 31 Caroline Street North, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 2Y5, Canada
  • 3Physics Department and Institute for Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA

  • *claudia.derham@case.edu
  • khinterbichler@perimeterinstitute.ca
  • rar2172@columbia.edu
  • §andrew.j.tolley@case.edu

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Issue

Vol. 88, Iss. 2 — 15 July 2013

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