A Gauge Field Theory of Continuous-Spin Particles

Abstract

We propose and quantize a local, covariant gauge-field action that unifies the description of all free helicity and continuous-spin degrees of freedom in a simple manner. This is the first field-theory action of any kind for continuous spin particles; it is consistent as a quantum theory and generalizes to any number of dimensions. The fields live on the null cone of an internal four-vector "spin-space"; in D dimensions a linearized gauge invariance reduces their physical content to a single function on a Euclidean (D-2)-plane, on which the little group E(D-2) acts naturally. A projective version of the action further reduces the physical content to S^{D-3}, enabling a new local description of particles with any spin structure, and in particular a tower of all integer-helicity particles for D=4. Gauge-invariant interactions with a background current are added in a straightforward manner.

35 pages, 1 figure version published in JHEP -- introductory discussion of tensor fields for continuous-spin removed, some typos removed and a few clarifying remarks added

References in corpus (3)

• Gauge Invariant Lagrangians for Free and Interacting Higher Spin Fields. A Review of the BRST formulation
• On the Theory of Continuous-Spin Particles: Wavefunctions and Soft-Factor Scattering Amplitudes
• On the Theory of Continuous-Spin Particles: Helicity Correspondence in Radiation and Forces

Cited by in corpus (18)

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• Interactions of Particles with "Continuous Spin" Fields
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• Pauli-Lubanski limit and stress-energy tensor for infinite-spin fields
• A local action for fermionic unconstrained higher spin gauge fields in (A)dS space
• The Kirillov picture for the Wigner particle
• Gauging the higher-spin-like symmetries by the Moyal product
• Continuous Spin Representation from Contraction of the Conformal Algebra
• Massless Rarita-Schwinger field from a divergenceless anti-symmetric-tensor spinor of pure spin-$3/2$
• Unconstrained Massless Higher Spin Supermultiplet in AdS${}_4$
• Considerations Concerning the Little Group