Generalized Gravitational S-Duality and the Cosmological Constant Problem

Abstract

We study S-duality transformations that mix the Riemann tensor with the field strength of a 3-form field. The dual of an (A)dS space time - with arbitrary curvature - is seen to be flat Minkowski space time, if the 3-form field has vanishing field strength before the duality transformation. It is discussed whether matter could couple to the dual metric, related to the Riemann tensor after a duality transformation. This possibility is supported by the facts that the Schwarzschild metric can be obtained as a suitable contraction of the dual of a Taub-NUT-AdS metric, and that metrics describing FRW cosmologies can be obtained as duals of theories with matter in the form of torsion.

26 pages, introduction rewritten, title changed, references added, to appear in Class. Quantum Grav

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Cited by in corpus (1)

• S-Dual Gravity in the Axial Gauge