On Killing tensors and cubic vertices in higher-spin gauge theories

The problem of determining all consistent non-Abelian local interactions is reviewed in flat space-time. The antifield-BRST formulation of the free theory is an efficient tool to address this problem. Firstly, it allows to compute all on-shell local Killing tensor fields, which are important because of their deep relationship with higher-spin algebras. Secondly, under the sole assumptions of locality and Poincare invariance, all non-trivial consistent deformations of a sum of spin-three quadratic actions deforming the Abelian gauge algebra were determined. They are compared with lower-spin cases.Comment: 10 pages. Based on a talk given by X.B. at the RTN Workshop ``Constituents, Fundamental Forces and Symmetries of the Universe'' (Corfu, 20-26th September 2005). Contribution to the Proceeding

Interactions of chiral two-forms

Two issues regarding the interactions of the chiral two-forms are reviewed. First, the problem of constructing Lorentz-invariant self-couplings of a single chiral two-form is investigated in the light of the Dirac-Schwinger condition on the energy-momentum tensor commutation relations. We show how the Perry-Schwarz condition follows from the Dirac-Schwinger criterion and point out that consistency of the gravitational coupling is automatic. Secondly, we study the possible local deformations of chiral two-forms. This problem reduces to the study of the local BRST cohomological group at ghost number zero. We proof that the only consistent deformations of a system of free chiral two-forms are (up to redefinitions) deformations that do not modify the abelian gauge symmetries of the free theory. The consequence of this result for a system consisting of a number of parallel M5-branes is explained.Comment: 6 pages. References added. Modified presentation. Talk given at the TMR-meeting `Quantum aspects of gauge theories, supersymmetry and unification', ENS (Paris), September 1-7, 1999 and at the `9th Midwest Geometry Conference', Univ. of Missouri (Columbia), November 5-7, 1999. From joint work with M. Henneaux and A. Sevri

Singletons and their maximal symmetry algebras

Singletons are those unitary irreducible modules of the Poincare or (anti) de Sitter group that can be lifted to unitary modules of the conformal group. Higher-spin algebras are the corresponding realizations of the universal enveloping algebra of the conformal algebra on these modules. These objects appear in a wide variety of areas of theoretical physics: AdS/CFT correspondence, electric-magnetic duality, higher-spin multiplets, infinite-component Majorana equations, higher-derivative symmetries, etc. Singletons and higher-spin algebras are reviewed through a list of their many equivalent definitions in order to approach them from various perspectives. The focus of this introduction is on the symmetries of a singleton: its maximal algebra and the manifest realization thereof.Comment: 34 pages, published (splitted into two distinct pieces) in the proceedings of the "7th spring school and workshop on quantum field theory & Hamiltonian systems" and of the "6th mathematical physics meeting: summer school and conference on modern mathematical physics", v2: references (and related comments) adde

Gauge invariants and Killing tensors in higher-spin gauge theories

In free completely symmetric tensor gauge field theories on Minkowski space-time, all gauge invariant functions and Killing tensor fields are computed, both on-shell and off-shell. These problems are addressed in the metric-like formalisms.Comment: LaTeX, 24 pages, no figure. One reference added and one definition corrected. Accepted for publication in NP

Manifestly Conformal Descriptions and Higher Symmetries of Bosonic Singletons

The usual ambient space approach to conformal fields is based on identifying the d-dimensional conformal space as the Dirac projective hypercone in a flat d+2-dimensional ambient space. In this work, we explicitly concentrate on singletons of any integer spin and propose an approach that allows one to have both locality and conformal symmetry manifest. This is achieved by using the ambient space representation in the fiber rather than in spacetime. This approach allows us to characterize a subalgebra of higher symmetries for any bosonic singleton, which is a candidate higher-spin algebra for mixed symmetry gauge fields on anti de Sitter spacetime. Furthermore, we argue that this algebra actually exhausts all higher symmetries.Comment: the bug with symbol $\bar\Box$ is fixe

On Nonlinear Higher Spin Curvature

We present the first nonlinear term of the higher spin curvature which is covariant with respect to deformed gauge transformations that are linear in the field. We consider in detail the case of spin 3 after presenting spin 2 as an example, and then construct the general spin s quadratic term of the deWit-Freedman curvature.Comment: 12 page

The continuous spin limit of higher spin field equations

We show that the Wigner equations describing the continuous spin representations can be obtained as a limit of massive higher-spin field equations. The limit involves a suitable scaling of the wave function, the mass going to zero and the spin to infinity with their product being fixed. The result allows to transform the Wigner equations to a gauge invariant Fronsdal-like form. We also give the generalisation of the Wigner equations to higher dimensions with fields belonging to arbitrary representations of the massless little group.Comment: 18 pages, JHEP style. Typos corrected, references adde