1-2 pm: The particle content of (scalar-curvature)^2 gravities
1-2 pm: The particle content of (scalar-curvature)^2 gravities
- Event time: 12:30pm until 2:30pm
- Event date: 5th March 2025
- Speaker: Giorgos Karananas (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)
- Location: Higgs Centre Seminar Room, Room 4305, James Clerk Maxwell Building (JCMB) (James Clerk Maxwell Building (JCMB)) James Clerk Maxwell Building Peter Guthrie Tait Road Edinburgh EH9 3FD GB
Event details
Title: The particle content of (scalar-curvature)^2 gravities
Abstract: I will show that studying the spectrum of (scalar-curvature)^2 gravities on Minkowski background inevitably results in a catch-22: any consistent interpretation of the particle dynamics dictates that no accidental gauge symmetries emerge, a requirement that cannot be fulfilled on Minkowski. Such emergent symmetries are artifacts of the linearized approximation on top of flat background, suggesting that the analysis of the spectrum on flat background is hindered by strong coupling effects. Such undesirable symmetries are absent already at the leading nontrivial order in perturbations on non-flat backgrounds, e.g. de Sitter spacetime, which are the appropriate ones for studying the particle dynamics of R^2 gravities.
About Particle Physics Theory seminars
The Particle Physics Theory seminar is a weekly series of talks reflecting the diverse interests of the group. Topics include analytic and numerical calculations based on the Standard Model of elementary particle physics, theories exploring new physics, as well as more formal developments in gauge theories and gravity..