Gauge Symmetry and Consistent Spin-Two Theories

We study Lagrangians with the minimal amount of gauge symmetry required to propagate spin-two particles without ghosts or tachyons. In general, these Lagrangians also have a scalar mode in their spectrum. We find that, in two cases, the symmetry can be enhanced to a larger group: the whole group of diffeomorphisms or a enhancement involving a Weyl symmetry. We consider the non-linear completions of these theories. The intuitive completions yield the usual scalar-tensor theories except for the pure spin-two cases, which correspond to two inequivalent Lagrangians giving rise to Einstein's equations. A more constructive self-consistent approach yields a background dependent Lagrangian.Comment: 7 pages, proceedings of IRGAC'06; typo correcte

Bosonized noncommutative bi-fundamental fermion and S-duality

We perform the path-integral bosonization of the recently proposed noncommutative massive Thirring model (NCMT$_{1}$) [JHEP0503(2005)037]. This model presents two types of current-current interaction terms related to the bi-fundamental representation of the group U(1). Firstly, we address the bosonization of a bi-fundamental free Dirac fermion defined on a noncommutative (NC) Euclidean plane \IR_{\theta}^{2}. In this case we show that the fermion system is dual to two copies of the NC Wess-Zumino-Novikov-Witten model. Next, we apply the bosonization prescription to the NCMT$_{1}$ model living on \IR_{\theta}^{2} and show that this model is equivalent to two-copies of the WZNW model and a two-field potential defined for scalar fields corresponding to the global $U(1)\times U(1)$ symmetry plus additional bosonized terms for the four fermion interactions. The bosonic sector resembles to the one proposed by Lechtenfeld et al. [Nucl. Phys. B705(2005)477] as the noncommutative sine-Gordon for a {\sl pair} of scalar fields. The bosonic and fermionic couplings are related by a strong-weak duality. We show that the couplings of the both sectors for some representations satisfy similar relationships up to relevant re-scalings, thus the NC bi-fundamental couplings are two times the corresponding ones of the NC fundamental (anti-fundamental) and eight times the couplings of the ordinary massive Thirring and sine-Gordon models.Comment: 18 pages, LaTex. References added. A general product $f(x-vt) \star g(x-vt)$ has been considered in the conclusion section . Version to appear in JHE

The good, the bad and the ugly .... of Horava gravity

I review the good, the bad and the ugly of the non-projectable versions of Horava gravity. I explain how this non-relativistic theory was constructed and why it was touted with such excitement as a quantum theory of gravity. I then review some of the issues facing the theory, explaining how strong coupling occurs and why this is such a problem for both phenomenology and the question of renormalisability. Finally I comment on possible violations of Equivalence Principle, and explain why these could be an issue for Blas et al's "healthy extension". This paper was presented as a talk at PASCOS 2010 in Valencia.Comment: 7 page

Bigravity and Lorentz-violating Massive Gravity

Bigravity is a natural arena where a non-linear theory of massive gravity can be formulated. If the interaction between the metrics $f$ and $g$ is non-derivative, spherically symmetric exact solutions can be found. At large distances from the origin, these are generically Lorentz-breaking bi-flat solutions (provided that the corresponding vacuum energies are adjusted appropriately). The spectrum of linearized perturbations around such backgrounds contains a massless as well as a massive graviton, with {\em two} physical polarizations each. There are no propagating vectors or scalars, and the theory is ghost free (as happens with certain massive gravities with explicit breaking of Lorentz invariance). At the linearized level, corrections to GR are proportional to the square of the graviton mass, and so there is no vDVZ discontinuity. Surprisingly, the solution of linear theory for a static spherically symmetric source does {\em not} agree with the linearization of any of the known exact solutions. The latter coincide with the standard Schwarzschild-(A)dS solutions of General Relativity, with no corrections at all. Another interesting class of solutions is obtained where $f$ and $g$ are proportional to each other. The case of bi-de Sitter solutions is analyzed in some detail.Comment: 25 pages. v3 Typos corrected, references added. v4 Introduction extende

Testing Lorentz invariance of dark matter

We study the possibility to constrain deviations from Lorentz invariance in dark matter (DM) with cosmological observations. Breaking of Lorentz invariance generically introduces new light gravitational degrees of freedom, which we represent through a dynamical timelike vector field. If DM does not obey Lorentz invariance, it couples to this vector field. We find that this coupling affects the inertial mass of small DM halos which no longer satisfy the equivalence principle. For large enough lumps of DM we identify a (chameleon) mechanism that restores the inertial mass to its standard value. As a consequence, the dynamics of gravitational clustering are modified. Two prominent effects are a scale dependent enhancement in the growth of large scale structure and a scale dependent bias between DM and baryon density perturbations. The comparison with the measured linear matter power spectrum in principle allows to bound the departure from Lorentz invariance of DM at the per cent level.Comment: 42 pages, 9 figure

Counterterms in semiclassical Horava-Lifshitz gravity

We analyze the semiclassical Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz gravity for quantum scalar fields in 3+1 dimensions. The renormalizability of the theory requires that the action of the scalar field contains terms with six spatial derivatives of the field, i.e. in the UV, the classical action of the scalar field should preserve the anisotropic scaling symmetry ($t \to L^{2z}t,$ $\vec{x} \to L^2 \vec{x}$, with $z=3$) of the gravitational action. We discuss the renormalization procedure based on adiabatic subtraction and dimensional regularization in the weak field approximation. We verify that the divergent terms in the adiabatic expansion of the expectation value of the energy-momentum tensor of the scalar field contain up to six spatial derivatives, but do not contain more than two time derivatives. We compute explicitly the counterterms needed for the renormalization of the theory up to second adiabatic order and evaluate the associated $\beta$ functions in the minimal subtraction scheme.Comment: 8 page

On the consistency of the Horava Theory

With the goal of giving evidence for the theoretical consistency of the Horava Theory, we perform a Hamiltonian analysis on a classical model suitable for analyzing its effective dynamics at large distances. The model is the lowest-order truncation of the Horava Theory with the detailed-balance condition. We consider the pure gravitational theory without matter sources. The model has the same potential term of general relativity, but the kinetic term is modified by the inclusion of an arbitrary coupling constant lambda. Since this constant breaks the general covariance under space-time diffeomorphisms, it is believed that arbitrary values of lambda deviate the model from general relativity. We show that this model is not a deviation at all, instead it is completely equivalent to general relativity in a particular partial gauge fixing for it. In doing this, we clarify the role of a second-class constraint of the model.Comment: The wording has been revised in general, specially in abstract, introduction and conclusions. No changes in results. Version published in IJMP

Note About Hamiltonian Formalism of Healthy Extended Horava-Lifshitz Gravity

In this paper we continue the study of the Hamiltonian formalism of the healthy extended Horava-Lifshitz gravity. We find the constraint structure of given theory and argue that this is the theory with the second class constraints. Then we discuss physical consequence of this result. We also apply the Batalin-Tyutin formalism of the conversion of the system with the second class constraints to the system with the first class constraints to the case of the healthy extended Horava-Lifshitz theory. As a result we find new theory of gravity with structure that is different from the standard formulation of Horava-Lifshitz gravity or General Relativity.Comment: 17 pages, v.2. references added, v.3. typos corrected, references adde

Bridging the μHz Gap in the Gravitational-Wave Landscape with Binary Resonances

Gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy is transforming our understanding of the Universe by probing phenomena invisible to electromagnetic observatories. A comprehensive exploration of the GW frequency spectrum is essential to fully harness this potential. Remarkably, current methods have left the μHz frequency band almost untouched. Here, we show that this μHz gap can be filled by searching for deviations in the orbits of binary systems caused by their resonant interaction with GWs. In particular, we show that laser ranging of the Moon and artificial satellites around the Earth, as well as timing of binary pulsars, may discover the first GW signals in this band, or otherwise set stringent new constraints. To illustrate the discovery potential of these binary resonance searches, we consider the GW signal from a cosmological first-order phase transition, showing that our methods will probe models of the early Universe that are inaccessible to any other near-future GW mission. We also discuss how our methods can shed light on the possible GW signal detected by NANOGrav, either constraining its spectral properties or even giving an independent confirmation