UNIFICATION AND HIGHER DERIVATIVE GRAVITY

1983
6 pages
Published in:
  • J.Phys.A 16 (1983) 3879-3884

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Abstract: (IOP)
The author considers higher-derivative theories of gravitation in which beta R2 and alpha Rmu nu Rmu nu terms are present in the Lagrangian density, in addition to the usual scalar curvature R term. The author shows that using this Lagrangian to obtain the field equations in a fibre-bundle unification of electromagnetism and general relativity leads to unacceptable modifications to Maxwell's equations even for very small alpha . Since the Kaluza-Klein unification and related fibre-bundle unifications of general relativity with a non-Abelian gauge group are major successes of the geometrical ideas behind general relativity, these results suggest that adding an Rmu nu Rmu nu term is not a profitable approach to future gravitational theories. The R3 term, on the other hand, is not ruled out by these considerations.
  • UNIFIED FIELD THEORY
  • GRAVITATION
  • ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTION
  • general relativity
  • GAUGE FIELD THEORY: FIBRE BUNDLE
  • Maxwell equation
  • Einstein equation
  • Kaluza-Klein model
  • TENSOR: ENERGY-MOMENTUM
  • CURRENT: CONSERVATION LAW
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