On conformal higher spin wave operators

Abstract

We analyze free conformal higher spin actions and the corresponding wave operators in arbitrary even dimensions and backgrounds. We show that the wave operators do not factorize in general, and identify the Weyl tensor and its derivatives as the obstruction to factorization. We give a manifestly factorized form for them on (A)dS backgrounds for arbitrary spin and on Einstein backgrounds for spin 2. We are also able to fix the conformal wave operator in d=4 for s=3 up to linear order in the Riemann tensor on generic Bach-flat backgrounds.

26 pages, includes Mathematica notebook. Version published in JHEP

References in corpus (5)

• Effective action in a higher-spin background
• Quartet unconstrained formulation for massless higher spin fields
• On Conformal, SL(4,R) and Sp(8,R) Symmetries of 4d Massless Fields
• (A)dS exchanges and partially-massless higher spins
• Transverse Invariant Higher Spin Fields

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Higher spins in AdS_5 at one loop: vacuum energy, boundary conformal anomalies and AdS/CFT
• Partition function of free conformal higher spin theory
• No-Go Theorems for Unitary and Interacting Partially Massless Spin-Two Fields
• $C_T$ for conformal higher spin fields from partition function on conically deformed sphere
• Higher Spins in Hyper-Superspace
• Higher-Spin Modes in a Domain-Wall Universe
• Lagrangian formulation of massive fermionic higher spin fields on a constant electromagnetic background
• On the Weyl anomaly of 4D Conformal Higher Spins: a holographic approach