How higher-spin gravity surpasses the spin-two barrier

Xavier Bekaert, Nicolas Boulanger, and Per A. Sundell
Rev. Mod. Phys. 84, 987 – Published 3 July 2012

Abstract

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.

  • Received 5 October 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.84.987

© 2012 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Xavier Bekaert*

  • Laboratoire de Mathématiques et Physique Théorique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7350 du CNRS, Fédération de Recherche 2964 Denis Poisson, Université François Rabelais, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours, France

Nicolas Boulanger and Per A. Sundell

  • Service de Mécanique et Gravitation, Université de Mons—UMONS, 20 Place du Parc, 7000 Mons, Belgium

  • *xavier.bekaert@lmpt.univ-tours.fr
  • nicolas.boulanger@umons.ac.be
  • per.sundell@umons.ac.be

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Issue

Vol. 84, Iss. 3 — July - September 2012

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