A Positive Energy Theorem for P(X,phi) Theories
arXiv:1405.7696 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.91.064002
Abstract
We describe a positive energy theorem for Einstein gravity coupled to scalar fields with first-derivative interactions, so-called P(X,phi) theories. We offer two independent derivations of this result. The first method introduces an auxiliary field to map the theory to a lagrangian describing two canonical scalar fields, where one can apply a positive energy result of Boucher and Townsend. The second method works directly at the P(X,phi) level and uses spinorial arguments introduced by Witten. The latter approach follows that of arXiv:1310.1663, but the end result is less restrictive. We point to the technical step where our derivation deviates from theirs. One of the more interesting implications of our analysis is to show it is possible to have positive energy in cases where dispersion relations following from locality and S-Matrix analyticity are violated.
arXiv comment5 pages. v2: Typos corrected, references added
References in corpus (31)
- A Dynamical Solution to the Problem of a Small Cosmological Constant and Late-time Cosmic Acceleration
- k-Inflation
- The galileon as a local modification of gravity
- Essentials of k-essence
- Causality, Analyticity and an IR Obstruction to UV Completion
- Ghost Condensation and a Consistent Infrared Modification of Gravity
- Scalar Speed Limits and Cosmology: Acceleration from D-cceleration
- Starting the Universe: Stable Violation of the Null Energy Condition and Non-standard Cosmologies
- New Ekpyrotic Cosmology
- Galilean Genesis: an alternative to inflation
- k-Mouflage gravity
- Effective field theory for hydrodynamics: thermodynamics, and the derivative expansion
- Energy's and amplitudes' positivity
- The Gelaton Scenario: Equilateral non-Gaussianity from multi-field dynamics
- A smooth bouncing cosmology with scale invariant spectrum
- UV-Completion by Classicalization
- Spontaneous breaking of Lorentz invariance, black holes and perpetuum mobile of the 2nd kind
- Enhancing the tensor-to-scalar ratio in simple inflation
- A Matter Bounce By Means of Ghost Condensation
- Subluminal Galilean Genesis
- Riding on irrelevant operators
- DBI Realizations of the Pseudo-Conformal Universe and Galilean Genesis Scenarios
- DBI Genesis: An Improved Violation of the Null Energy Condition
- Screening fifth forces in k-essence and DBI models
- Gravitational energy, dS/CFT correspondence and cosmic no-hair
- D-BIonic Screening of Scalar Fields
- From Satisfying to Violating the Null Energy Condition
- A Positive Energy Theorem for Asymptotically deSitter Spacetimes
- Consistent NEC-violation: towards creating a universe in the laboratory
- Conformal Properties of Charges in Scalar-Tensor Gravities
- Modeling scalar fields consistent with positive mass
Cited by in corpus (11)
- Beyond the Cosmological Standard Model
- An Alternative to Particle Dark Matter
- Quantum Corrections and the de Sitter Swampland Conjecture
- Recovering P(X) from a canonical complex field
- Hyperbolic field space and swampland conjecture for DBI scalar
- A Well-Posed UV Completion for Simulating Scalar Galileons
- Non-canonical kinetic structures in the swampland
- Generalized unimodular gravity as a form of k-essence
- Positive mass theorem in extended supergravities
- Generalizing the Swampland: Embedding Inflationary Theories in a Curved Multi-field Space
- A holographic realization of light dilatons