Canonical bifurcation in higher derivative, higher spin, theories

Abstract

We present a non-perturbative canonical analysis of the D=3 quadratic-curvature, yet ghost-free, model to exemplify a novel, "constraint bifurcation", effect. Consequences include a jump in excitation count: a linearized level gauge variable is promoted to a dynamical one in the full theory. We illustrate these results with their concrete perturbative counterparts. They are of course mutually consistent, as are perturbative findings in related models. A geometrical interpretation in terms of propagating torsion reveals the model's relation to an (improved) version of Einstein-Weyl gravity at the linearized level. Finally, we list some necessary conditions for triggering the bifurcation phenomenon in general interacting gauge systems.

10 pages, v2: typos corrected, v3: new title to reflect greatly expanded version, to appear in special issue of J Phys A (eds, M Vasiliev & M Gaberdiel)

References in corpus (6)

• Massive Gravity in Three Dimensions
• More on Massive 3D Gravity
• Ghost-free, finite, fourth order D=3 (alas) gravity
• On the Hamiltonian form of 3D massive gravity
• Einstein-Weyl from Kaluza-Klein
• Gauge Invariant Factorisation and Canonical Quantisation of Topologically Massive Gauge Theories in Any Dimension

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• Pure Lorentz spin connection theories and uniqueness of General Relativity
• Extended Jackiw-Pi Model and Its Supersymmetrization
• On one-loop partition functions of three-dimensional critical gravities
• Canonical structure of minimal varying $\Lambda$ theories
• Dimensional reduction of the massless limit of the linearized "New Massive Gravity"
• Embeddings of the "New Massive Gravity"
• Partially massless theory in three dimensions and self-dual massive gravity
• Weyl and transverse diffeomorphism invariant spin-2 models in D=2+1
• Moduli spaces of oriented Type A manifolds of dimension at least 3
• Moduli spaces of Type~$\mathcal{B}$ surfaces with torsion
• Noncommutative Jackiw-Pi model: One-loop renormalization