Abstract
We analyze the spectrum of the exactly duality and gauge invariant higher-derivative double field theory. While this theory is based on a chiral CFT and does not correspond to a standard string theory, our analysis illuminates a number of issues central in string theory. The full quadratic action is rewritten as a two-derivative theory with additional fields. This allows for a simple analysis of the spectrum, which contains two massive spin-2 ghosts and massive scalars, in addition to the massless fields. Moreover, in this formulation, the massless or tensionless limit α ′ → ∞ is non-singular and leads to an enhanced gauge symmetry. We show that the massive modes can be integrated out exactly at the quadratic level, leading to an infinite series of higher-derivative corrections. Finally, we present a ghost-free massive extension of linearized double field theory, which employs a novel mass term for the dilaton and metric.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
O. Hohm, W. Siegel and B. Zwiebach, Doubled α ′ -geometry, JHEP 02 (2014) 065 [arXiv:1306.2970] [INSPIRE].
W. Siegel, Superspace duality in low-energy superstrings, Phys. Rev. D 48 (1993) 2826 [hep-th/9305073] [INSPIRE].
C. Hull and B. Zwiebach, Double Field Theory, JHEP 09 (2009) 099 [arXiv:0904.4664] [INSPIRE].
O. Hohm, C. Hull and B. Zwiebach, Background independent action for double field theory, JHEP 07 (2010) 016 [arXiv:1003.5027] [INSPIRE].
O. Hohm, C. Hull and B. Zwiebach, Generalized metric formulation of double field theory, JHEP 08 (2010) 008 [arXiv:1006.4823] [INSPIRE].
O. Hohm and S.K. Kwak, Frame-like Geometry of Double Field Theory, J. Phys. A 44 (2011) 085404 [arXiv:1011.4101] [INSPIRE].
O. Hohm and B. Zwiebach, Green-Schwarz mechanism and α ′ -deformed Courant brackets, JHEP 01 (2015) 012 [arXiv:1407.0708] [INSPIRE].
O. Hohm and B. Zwiebach, Double field theory at order α ′, JHEP 11 (2014) 075 [arXiv:1407.3803] [INSPIRE].
D. Marques and C.A. Núñez, T-duality and α ′ -corrections, JHEP 10 (2015) 084 [arXiv:1507.00652] [INSPIRE].
O. Hohm and B. Zwiebach, Double metric, generalized metric and α ′ -deformed double field theory, Phys. Rev. D 93 (2016) 064035 [arXiv:1509.02930] [INSPIRE].
O. Hohm and B. Zwiebach, T-duality Constraints on Higher Derivatives Revisited, JHEP 04 (2016) 101 [arXiv:1510.00005] [INSPIRE].
W. Siegel, Amplitudes for left-handed strings, arXiv:1512.02569 [INSPIRE].
U. Naseer and B. Zwiebach, Three-point Functions in Duality-Invariant Higher-Derivative Gravity, JHEP 03 (2016) 147 [arXiv:1602.01101] [INSPIRE].
Y.-t. Huang, W. Siegel and E.Y. Yuan, Factorization of Chiral String Amplitudes, arXiv:1603.02588 [INSPIRE].
E. Casali and P. Tourkine, On the null origin of the ambitwistor string, arXiv:1606.05636 [INSPIRE].
C. de Rham, Massive Gravity, Living Rev. Rel. 17 (2014) 7 [arXiv:1401.4173] [INSPIRE].
D.J. Gross, High-Energy Symmetries of String Theory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 60 (1988) 1229 [INSPIRE].
B. Zwiebach, Curvature Squared Terms and String Theories, Phys. Lett. B 156 (1985) 315 [INSPIRE].
Planck collaboration, P.A.R. Ade et al., Planck 2013 results. XXII. Constraints on inflation, Astron. Astrophys. 571 (2014) A22 [arXiv:1303.5082] [INSPIRE].
E.A. Bergshoeff, O. Hohm and P.K. Townsend, Massive Gravity in Three Dimensions, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102 (2009) 201301 [arXiv:0901.1766] [INSPIRE].
X.O. Camanho, J.D. Edelstein, J. Maldacena and A. Zhiboedov, Causality Constraints on Corrections to the Graviton Three-Point Coupling, JHEP 02 (2016) 020 [arXiv:1407.5597] [INSPIRE].
N. Arkani-Hamed, H.-C. Cheng, M.A. Luty and S. Mukohyama, Ghost condensation and a consistent infrared modification of gravity, JHEP 05 (2004) 074 [hep-th/0312099] [INSPIRE].
A. Salam and J.A. Strathdee, On Kaluza-Klein Theory, Annals Phys. 141 (1982) 316 [INSPIRE].
G. ’t Hooft, Unitarity in the Brout-Englert-Higgs Mechanism for Gravity, arXiv:0708.3184 [INSPIRE].
E.A. Bergshoeff, O. Hohm, J. Rosseel and P.K. Townsend, Modes of Log Gravity, Phys. Rev. D 83 (2011) 104038 [arXiv:1102.4091] [INSPIRE].
U. Naseer, unpublished work.
Open Access
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits any use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
ArXiv ePrint: 1607.01784
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
About this article
Cite this article
Hohm, O., Naseer, U. & Zwiebach, B. On the curious spectrum of duality invariant higher-derivative gravity. J. High Energ. Phys. 2016, 173 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP08(2016)173
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP08(2016)173