54 research outputs found
Nonlinear Dynamics of 3D Massive Gravity
We explore the nonlinear classical dynamics of the three-dimensional theory
of "New Massive Gravity" proposed by Bergshoeff, Hohm and Townsend. We find
that the theory passes remarkably highly nontrivial consistency checks at the
nonlinear level. In particular, we show that: (1) In the decoupling limit of
the theory, the interactions of the helicity-0 mode are described by a single
cubic term -- the so-called cubic Galileon -- previously found in the context
of the DGP model and in certain 4D massive gravities. (2) The conformal mode of
the metric coincides with the helicity-0 mode in the decoupling limit. Away
from this limit the nonlinear dynamics of the former is described by a certain
generalization of Galileon interactions, which like the Galileons themselves
have a well-posed Cauchy problem. (3) We give a non-perturbative argument based
on the presence of additional symmetries that the full theory does not lead to
any extra degrees of freedom, suggesting that a 3D analog of the 4D
Boulware-Deser ghost is not present in this theory. Last but not least, we
generalize "New Massive Gravity" and construct a class of 3D cubic order
massive models that retain the above properties.Comment: 21 page
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