2015Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fieldsOpen access

Consistent massive graviton on arbitrary backgrounds

Laura Bernard, Cédric Deffayet, Mikael von Strauss

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Abstract

We obtain the fully covariant linearized field equations for the metric perturbation in the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley (dRGT) ghost-free massive gravities. For a subset of these theories, we show that the nondynamical metric that appears in the dRGT setup can be completely eliminated leading to the theory of a massive graviton moving in a single metric. This has a mass term which contains nontrivial contributions of the space-time curvature. We show further how five covariant constraints can be obtained including one which leads to the tracelessness of the graviton on flat space-time and removes the Boulware-Deser ghost. The five constraints are obtained for a background metric which is arbitrary, i.e. which does not have to obey the background field equations.

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We obtain the fully covariant linearized field equations for the metric perturbation in the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley (dRGT) ghost-free massive gravities. For a subset of these theories, we show that the nondynamical metric that appears in the dRGT setup can be completely eliminated leading to the theory of a massive graviton moving in a single metric. This has a mass term which contains nontrivial contributions of the space-time curvature. We show further how five covariant constraints can be obtained including one which leads to the tracelessness of the graviton on flat space-time and removes the Boulware-Deser ghost. The five constraints are obtained for a background metric which is arbitrary, i.e. which does not have to obey the background field equations.

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Available abstract

We obtain the fully covariant linearized field equations for the metric perturbation in the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley (dRGT) ghost-free massive gravities. For a subset of these theories, we show that the nondynamical metric that appears in the dRGT setup can be completely eliminated leading to the theory of a massive graviton moving in a single metric. This has a mass term which contains nontrivial contributions of the space-time curvature. We show further how five covariant constraints can be obtained including one which leads to the tracelessness of the graviton on flat space-time and removes the Boulware-Deser ghost. The five constraints are obtained for a background metric which is arbitrary, i.e. which does not have to obey the background field equations.

Key concepts: Graviton, Physics, Theoretical physics, Astronomy, Gravitation

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