Matter matters in Einstein-Cartan gravity
Georgios K. Karananas, Mikhail Shaposhnikov, Andrey Shkerin, Sebastian Zell
Abstract
We study scalar, fermionic and gauge fields coupled nonminimally to gravity in the Einstein-Cartan formulation. We construct a wide class of models with nondynamical torsion whose gravitational spectra comprise only the massless graviton. Eliminating nonpropagating degrees of freedom, we derive an equivalent theory in the metric formulation of gravity. It features contact interactions of a certain form between, and among, the matter and gauge currents. We also discuss briefly the inclusion of curvature-squared terms.
Topics & Concepts
PhysicsMassless particleTheoretical physicsGravitationTorsion (gastropod)Gauge (firearms)Metric (unit)Gauge theoryf(R) gravityClassical mechanicsGravitational fieldQuantum gravityMathematical physicsClass (philosophy)Dark matterConstruct (python library)Spectral lineQuantum field theoryBlack Holes and Theoretical PhysicsCosmology and Gravitation TheoriesPulsars and Gravitational Waves Research