Chiral approach to massive higher spins

Abstract

We propose a new, chiral description for massive higher-spin particles in four spacetime dimensions, which facilitates the introduction of consistent interactions. As proof of concept, we formulate three theories, in which higher-spin matter is coupled to electrodynamics, non-Abelian gauge theory or gravity. The theories are chiral and have simple Lagrangians, resulting in Feynman rules analogous to those of massive scalars. Starting from these Feynman rules, we derive tree-level scattering amplitudes with two higher-spin matter particles and any number of positive-helicity photons, gluons or gravitons. The amplitudes reproduce the arbitrary-multiplicity results that were obtained via on-shell recursion in a parity-conserving setting, and which chiral and non-chiral theories thus have in common. The presented theories are currently the only examples of consistent interacting field theories with massive higher-spin fields.

7 pages + refs; v2 minor improvements, journal version + footnotes

References in corpus (16)

• Resummation of Massive Gravity
• New Relations for Gauge-Theory Amplitudes
• Massive Gravity in Three Dimensions
• Light-Front Higher-Spin Theories in Flat Space
• Gravitational spin Hamiltonians from the S matrix
• Scattering equations and BCJ relations for gauge and gravitational amplitudes with massive scalar particles
• On massive spin 2 interactions
• A worldsheet for Kerr
• Classical observables from coherent-spin amplitudes
• On spin 3 interacting with gravity
• Gauge invariant Lagrangian construction for massive bosonic mixed symmetry higher spin fields
• On massive spin 2 electromagnetic interactions
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• Minimal models of field theories: Chiral Higher Spin Gravity
• On electromagnetic interactions for massive mixed symmetry field
• Minimal model of Chiral Higher Spin Gravity

Cited by in corpus (14)

• One-loop Gravitational Bremsstrahlung and Waveforms from a Heavy-Mass Effective Field Theory
• Resummed spinning waveforms from five-point amplitudes
• Scattering Angles in Kerr Metrics
• Classical Spin Gravitational Compton Scattering
• Observables from the Spinning Eikonal
• Massive twistor worldline in electromagnetic fields
• Consistent actions for massive particles interacting with electromagnetism and gravity
• Massive spin three-half field in a constant electromagnetic background
• Symmetric vs. chiral approaches to massive fields with spin
• Massless chiral fields in six dimensions
• Loop Amplitudes in the Coulomb Branch of $\mathcal{N}=4$ Super-Yang-Mills Theory
• All actions for free massive higher-spin fields
• Unfolded Fierz-Pauli Equations in Three-Dimensional Asymptotically Flat Spacetimes
• Spinor Representations for Fields with any Spin: Lorentz Tensor Basis for Operators and Covariant Multipole Decomposition